Memoir Infusion

The past is never dead. It’s not even past.
– William Faulkner

If the primary purpose of literature is connection, what better way to accomplish that goal than through telling our experiences and how they formed us. This 8-week course is designed for writers already engaged in writing a memoir, who have some knowledge of the craft, and have begun a few chapters of a full-length memoir or have a handful of connected essays for a series of personal essays. Together we’ll discuss elements of craft including, but not limited to, narrative drive and tension, time, scene vs. summary narration, character development (including dialogue), ethics of truth and our faulty memories as we try to recreate our pasts on the page. We’ll also study structure, considering classic and not-so-classic forms.

Because I want to guard your writing time, our class format will have students sharing five-page excerpts, workshopped in the moment. In the remaining class time, I will offer brief prompts to stimulate your writing, we’ll discuss craft issues mentioned above, and we’ll check out exemplary memoirs and personal essays by writers including Edwidge Danticat, Deborah Levy, George Hodgman, Vivian Gornick, Esmerelda Santiago, Saeed Jones and others. By the end of the course, in addition a stack of workshopped pages, students will have an enlarged understanding of how to develop a vivid and engaging memoir.

Access Program
We want our writing classes to be accessible to everyone, regardless of income and background. We understand that our tuition structure can present obstacles for some people. Our Access Program offers writing class registrations at a reduced rate. The access program for writing classes covers 60% of the class tuition. Most writing classes have at least one access spot available. Contact Susan Moore at susan@literary-arts.org if you would like to take a writing class at the Access Rate.