This workshop is full. To be added to the waitlist, email Meghan at programs@mainewriters.org.
A 10 Week Memoir Workshop
THURSDAYS, April 7th to June 9th
Level: Intermediate/Advanced
The writing of memoir requires the distillation and curation of a slice of one's life, but it is the honing of its narrator's voice that will truly set it apart, and give it the energy to let the story soar, and captivate the reader. Voice is the ineffable DNA of memoir---its texture, its sound, its color. The right voice will enable the narrator to tell even the most challenging of stories with control, distance, and the space necessary for its drama to deepen and the core of the story to emerge. In the words of Vivian Gornick, there is the "self who undergoes the experience, and another self who writes about it, and they're not the same." They are differentiated by voice.
In this 10-week workshop, we will explore the many facets of voice: how to let go of the steering wheel and refrain from manipulating the narrator, understanding how changes in tense can effect voice, understanding the difference between narrator and author, how the creation of a strong voice will result in a memoir that is shown, and not told.
This generative workshop will include both in-class and at-home prompts, and will require that every attendee submit 2500 contiguous words of in-progress memoir, due two weeks before the first meeting. Each class meeting will include the review of one student submission, readings, an exercise, and discussion. We will also read short pieces by Vivian Gornick, Melissa Febos, Alexander Chee, Jesmyn Ward, and others.
This workshop is intended for intermediate and advanced memoir and personal essay writers.
+ SUBMIT After registering, participants are asked to submit a piece of writing of up to 2500-words by no later than 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 24. Please take this deadline seriously as MWPA likely cannot accept late submissions. 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: “ALTMAN WORKSHOP MSS.” Please use standard formatting (1” margins, double-spaced, 12 pt font) and keep spacing to a minimum (e.g. no title pages). *Word docs ONLY, please.
+DATES The workshop will meet every Thursday between April 7 and June 9, unless unforeseen scheduling issues should arise.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur online via Zoom. Students do not need to create an account to participate, but should test out Zoom before their class if they are first-time users. On Thursday, March 31 from 5:30pm to 6:00pm, MWPA staff will offer a tech help session on Zoom. Students are encouraged to attend the tech help session, which usually takes only 5-10 minutes, if they have any tech concerns, use Zoom infrequently, or simply would like to test their connection, and those who do not are responsible for ensuring that they are able to use Zoom on their own. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed a link that they may click to enter the test session and the class.
+ 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.
Elissa Altman is the critically-acclaimed, James Beard Award-winning author of three memoirs: Motherland: A Memoir of Life, Loathing, and Longing; Treyf: My Life as an Unorthodox Outlaw; and Poor Man’s Feast: A Love Story of Comfort, Desire, and the Art of Simple Cooking. Her work has appeared everywhere from The Guardian and Tin House to O: The Oprah Magazine, Lion’s Roar, Krista Tippett’s On Being, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, where her column, Feeding My Mother, ran for a year. A finalist for the 2020 Lambda Literary Award in Memoir and the 2020 Maine Literary Award in Memoir, she teaches the craft of memoir widely, from Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown to The Loft Literary Center, and beyond.
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 Meghan Sterling at 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.
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 Meghan at programs@mainewriters.org to see if the scholarship is still available. Application Due on March 24th 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