How do you write a good memoir? You apply the narrative techniques of fiction and poetry: you take the fascinating, messy raw material of your life and build a frame for it. You distill. You find a voice that’s all you but that also offers you flexibility, perspective and the right counterbalance to the story’s content. You tap into your emotions to give your story energy and urgency.

What’s the best way to start? In this six-week class, we will do close readings from an assortment of wildly varied but equally powerful memoirs – by memoirists ranging from Claude Brown to Annie Dillard — to see how authors have solved these problems for themselves. Then you will try out these methods for yourselves to see which ones fit you best.

All the readings and exercises will be provided in the online classroom. You will write two double-spaced pages every week and provide weekly feedback to your classmates. Everyone will receive a weekly critique from the teacher. The final week you’ll have a chance to continue one of the exercises. There will also be an optional weekly one-hour video chat reserved for reviewing the next assignment, talking about writing and asking questions of the teacher.

Instructor

Writers Studio Teacher

Sally McElwain

Her recent work has been anthologized in the “Hair” issue of Dorothy Parker’s Ashes; her essay, “Fingertips Part 3, With Thanks to Stevie Wonder,” about teaching yoga to the blind is in The Art of Touch, University of Georgia Press, (November 2023) and recorded for Second Hand Stories and the Poet’s Pandemic Podcast #8. 

Join Our Mailing List

Add your name to our mailing list to receive news of discounts, classes, and free events.