This workshop is full. Please email programs@mainewriters.org to be added to the waitlist.
A Hybrid Memoir Workshop
ALL LEVELS
Memoir can fall flat when readers feel detached from important events unfolding on the page. To connect a reader to one’s experience, a writer has to do more than simply narrate it. She or he has to pull readers in close, anchor them in time and place, and zip them into our skin, to paraphrase memoirist Mary Karr. Incorporating vivid, well-crafted scenes can do just that.
In this workshop, participants will look at examples of how memoirists use scene to help readers see, hear, and feel the action, and know what it was like for the writer in a particular moment. Attendees will engage in writing prompts and exercises that help them flesh out important moments in their own stories by drawing on scene-building techniques such as detail, description, character development, action, dialogue, thought, and reflection.
In addition, each participant will also have the opportunity to share a scene from a memoir-in-progress or narrative essay and receive constructive feedback from the class.
+ SUBMIT After registering, participants are asked to submit a piece of writing of up to 1000 words that focuses on a particular moment in time by no later than 9:00 a.m. on Friday, February 23. Please note that these manuscripts will be distributed in advance via email to the other workshop participants. Please email the manuscript to taryn@mainewriters.org with the subject line: “BROOKS WORKSHOP MSS.”
+ 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).
If you would like to quickly and easily test your internet connection and your computer’s compatibility with Zoom, click HERE. Full details on supported Operating Systems, internet browsers, and more can be found HERE. To download and familiarize yourself with Zoom, click HERE.
Melanie Brooks is the author of the memoir A Hard Silence: One daughter remaps family, grief, and faith when HIV/AIDS changes it all (Vine Leaves Press, 2023) and Writing Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma (Beacon Press, 2017) She teaches creative nonfiction in the M.F.A. program at Bay Path University and professional writing at Northeastern University in Massachusetts. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast writing program and a Certificate in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. She has had numerous interviews and essays on topics ranging from loss and grief to parenting and aging published in the The Boston Globe, HuffPost, Yankee Magazine, The Washington Post, Ms. Magazine, Creative Nonfiction, and other notable publications. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, two children (when they are home from college), and two Labs.
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.
$80 Members/$125 Nonmembers
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.
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one partial scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Email programs@mainewriters.org to see if the scholarship is still available. Application Due by February 17 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