How to Make Your Personal Essays Feel Universal to Readers
An IN-PERSON Personal Essay Workshop
ALL LEVELS
The range of people’s personal passions is wide and unique. But passions are also specific—some people love Patti Smith and orchids, while others adore John Keats and dairy goats. The challenge for an essayist is how to turn the personal into the universal, how to explore one’s commitments and beliefs, loves and obsessions in ways that are compelling to readers.
In this workshop, participants will read examples of engrossing writing about personal passions by authors such as James Baldwin and Virginia Woolf and discuss how they engage the reader. The group will generate new work through writing prompts that aim to engage deeply and productively with their passions.
This workshop is open to writers with experience in any genre.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur IN-PERSON. The week of the workshop, attendees will be emailed the exact location of the class.
Dawn Potter is the author or editor of nine books of prose and poetry—most recently the poetry collection Accidental Hymn. A finalist for the National Poetry Series, she has also won a Maine Literary Award for nonfiction and has received grants and fellowships from the Elizabeth George Foundation, the Writer's Center, and the Maine Arts Commission. Her poems and essays have appeared in the Beloit Poetry Journal, the Sewanee Review, the Threepenny Review, the Times Literary Supplement, and many other journals in the United States and abroad. Dawn directs poetry and teaching programs at Monson Arts. She lives in Portland, Maine.
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.
$75 Members/$115 Nonmembers
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 January 10 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