Reckoning With Memoir: A Writing Workshop

In this 8-week class, we will explore writing memoir with honesty, compassion and reliability. Reckoning with memoir, we must ask and resolve some difficult questions: How do we view ourselves as full-rounded characters in our own stories? How do we tell true-life stories without intruding unnecessarily in the lives of others? How do we write about those we love, including the difficult ones, with honesty and respect? We'll explore these and other reckonings through shared readings in the genre, discussion of exemplary works, writing exercises, and focused peer and instructor critiques of student work. Writers already engaged in a project and those just beginning to turn their life stories into memoir are invited. Instructor Kathryn Eastburn (www.kathryneastburn.com).