A Hybrid Intro to Memoir Workshop
Level: All Levels
Unlike autobiography, memoir does not need to include every part of one’s life. A truly good memoir is more like a series of Polaroid snapshots, highlighting the key moments or a specific time period in a person’s life that deliver a thesis statement or answer a question. In this class, attendees will break down the most potent threads of the tapestry of one’s life and identify each page’s purpose. We will engage in the skills essential to great memoir and literary writing—scene, characterization, dialogue, and point of view—to delve into the following questions: What does this life illustrate? What has the narrator learned from his or her life? What larger issues are being explored? What’s beneath the iceberg? What is my thesis statement? What are my intentions? We will also look at what comes next: how do we prepare excerpts for submissions as stand-alone pieces? What is an agent and when—if even—should I acquire one? What do I want to do with this memoir? What is my ultimate goal here?
Class will have take-home prompts, in-class exercises, as well as assigned readings by Vijay Seshadri, Jo Ann Beard, and T Kira Madden. Participants will be required to review one or two peer manuscripts (using provided guidelines) prior to the class.
+ SUBMIT After registering, participants are asked to submit a memoir excerpt of up to 5 pages by no later than 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 11. Please take this deadline and word limit seriously as late submissions likely cannot be accepted, and excess words will be cut. Please note that these manuscripts will be distributed in advance via email to the other workshop participants. Please email the manuscript to programs@mainewriters.org with the subject line: “PTACIN WORKSHOP MSS.” *Please use standard formatting (1” margins, double-spaced, 12 pt font), and Word docs (ideally) or PDFs only.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur both ONLINE via Zoom and IN-Person. Students do not need to create an account to participate, but should test out Zoom before their class if they are first-time users. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed a link that they may click to enter the class and the location if they are attending in-person.
+ REQUIRED EQUIPMENT A reliable, fast internet connection (broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE), speakers & a microphone (built-in or USB plug-in), and a webcam (built-in or USB plug-in).
Mira Ptacin is a literary journalist, memoirist, New York Times best-selling ghostwriter, editor, and professor of creative writing. She is the author of the award-winning memoir Poor Your Soul (Soho Press, 2016), which was named a best book of the year by Kirkus Books, where it received a rare “starred” review. She’s also the author of the genre-blending book of feminist history, memoir, and ethnography, The In-Betweens: The Spiritualists, Mediums, and Legends of Camp Etna (Liveright-W.W. Norton, 2019), which the New York Times lauded as the best book to read during a pandemic. Mira’s writing frequently appears in the New York Times, New York Times Book Review, Vogue, Poets and Writers, Harper’s, Tin House, LitHub, and more. She received her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College, where she was editor-at-large of their literary magazine, LUMINA. Mira lives on Peaks Island, Maine, and is currently working on her next book.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via our website. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.
PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION
QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact programs@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-228-8263 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.
REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information.
$95 Members/$150 Nonmembers
Registration for this workshop is closed. Please stay tuned for more!
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one full scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due on April 5 at 9:00 a.m.
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MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION