memoir writing course online

Online Memoir Writing Courses

We know you have a story to tell. Wherever you're currently at on your memoir project, we're here to support you with our online memoir writing courses.

You’ll get weekly instructor feedback on your work, ongoing collaboration with other memoirists, and a supportive course structure that will help you set and meet your writing goals.

Learn from published authors who have spent decades perfecting their craft, and are dedicated to supporting you and your work. Don’t miss out: find the online memoir writing course for you today!

Upcoming Online Memoir Writing Courses

July courses, show and tell: how to write captivating memoir and nonfiction, with brad wetzler.

Your true story of healing or transformation can captivate and empower your readers. Learn how to balance showing the vivid details of your own journey with telling the broader themes for readers to apply in their own lives.

Creative Nonfiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Personal Essay

Writing Autobiographical Fiction

With jack smith.

Learn to depart from "what really happened," and write compelling fiction from your own life experiences.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story

Writing Our Grief: How to Channel Loss into Creative Expression

With rudri patel.

Writing about grief is a powerful healing tool. Turn pain into power in this personal essay course, with instructor Rudri Patel.

Writing the Memoir-in-Essays

With margo steines.

Learn how to tell your story through the memoir-in-essays, a form that allows writers to interweave the facts of their lives in interesting and evocative ways.

Creative Nonfiction , Memoir , Personal Essay

August Courses

Writing chronic illness.

Creative nonfiction offers a container for the sharing and exploration of illness. Tell the story of your body in this healing-oriented workshop.

Rapid Story Development: A Master Plan for Building Stories That Work

With jeff lyons.

In this 10 week story writing class, Jeff Lyons pairs the Enneagram with story development techniques to revolutionize your writing practice.

Writing About Family

Family is complicated, and so is writing about it. Navigate the complexities of writing about real relationships in this generative essay class.

September Courses

A writerly life: develop a writing routine that works for you, with shelby hinte.

What does a writer's life look like? Build a productive writing habit in this course for writers of all backgrounds.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

Write Your Memoir in 12 Weeks

With blaise allysen kearsley.

Writing a full memoir takes energy, momentum, and moral support. Find all three in this memoir writing intensive.

Creative Nonfiction , Memoir

Writing with Consistency and Courage

With tamara dean.

What makes a successful writer? It's not talent, craft, or even the right connections—it's consistency and courage.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

It Starts with Play: Get (Back) into Writing

With janée baugher.

Harness the joy of creativity in this inspiration-focused class, where we'll uncover new ideas for writing projects and draft loads of new material. 

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Unscheduled Courses

These online writing classes don’t currently have a next session on our calendar, but will soon. If you see a course you’re interested in, use the “I’m Interested” button to let us know, and we’ll follow up with you when the course is on our calendar next.

Want to reach us or our instructors with questions about our online writing courses? Contact us at [email protected] , or visit the contact form .

(Live Workshop) Dream Writing

With zining mok.

How can writers harness the power of dreams? Let your slumber supercharge your creativity in this three hour dream writing workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Personal Essay

(Live Workshop) Writing Beginnings and Endings

With sarah aronson.

How do you write a story that's compelling to start and satisfying to finish? Sarah Aronson explains in this comprehensive one-day workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story

*Private Class | Embodied Writing: Improve Your Writing with Full-Body Creativity

With rosemary tantra bensko.

Have a grand time with specific physical exercises that honor your health, generate imaginative ideas, explore deeply and make your creative writing entertaining.

*Private Class | Embodied Writing: Somatic Practices to Improve Your Work

*private class | using bullet journaling to achieve writing goals.

Looking to keep your writing goals organized? Make it happen in our bullet journaling course. Learn the art of the BuJo with Rudri Patel!

*Private Class | Writing with Tarot

With sandra novack.

Jump-start your creative juices, and explore a world of divination, symbolism, and imagery right at your fingertips: learn short story and novel writing through Tarot.

Anatomy of a Premise Line: How to Use Story and Premise Development for Writing Success

The premise line is the only reliable tool that can tell you, BEFORE you start writing, whether or not your story will “work.” In this class participants will learn how to master the process of premise line development—the essential first step in any book or screenplay’s development process.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Stage and Broadcast

Block Buster: Turbocharge Your Creativity with Breakneck Writing

With gretchen clark.

Banish writer's block, unearth fresh ideas, and sharpen your storytelling ability with the practice of fast, timed writing.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Boost Your Imagination and Reap the Literary Rewards

With giulietta nardone.

It happens to all of us: life gets in the way and our creativity falters. Get back on track with this four-week creativity boosting class!

Branches of Creative Nonfiction

With tess fahlgren.

What are the different types of creative nonfiction? From the personal essay to the hermit crab, learn the ropes of CNF in this 8 week class.

But What Is Your Story Really About? Finding the Core of Your Short Memoir, Story, or Personal Essay

Take a four-week writing adventure deep into the core of your story, to find the true theme of your personal essay, short story, or short memoir.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Personal Essay , Short Story

Character Transformation Workshop: How to Write Stories that Emotionally Resonate

Learn how to write emotionally resonant journeys that stick with the reader, using the power of character transformation.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Claiming Our Stories: Autobiography, Memoir & Autobiographical Fiction

With anya achtenberg.

Turn your experience into fiction, autobiography, or creative memoir. Bring forward stories with a powerful truth at their core. Instructor Anya Achtenberg.

Craft Your Story: Short Fiction and Memoir Live Workshops

With margo perin.

Get tailored advice and inspiration for your fiction or nonfiction stories, in this weekly live workshop with award-winning instructor Margo Perin.

Crafting the Poetry Novel: Advanced Workshop

With kelly bingham.

Want to make headway on your poetry novel? This workshop offers the structure and resources to get it done, with instructor Kelly Bingham.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Poetry

Creating the Visual Journal

With lissa jensen.

Go beyond narrow definitions of “journaling" to include visual images and let writing give what is seen a new voice. Surprise yourself.

Creative Nonfiction: The Art of Telling True Stories

With nicole hardy.

How do you tell your stories beautifully and authentically? Learn the fundamentals of creative nonfiction with Nicole Hardy.

Deepening and Organizing Our Stories: Memoir/Creative Nonfiction and Autobiographical Fiction

For writers of memoir, creative nonfiction and fiction, with some experience. Particularly helpful to writers in the midst of a longer work.

Embodied Writing: Improve Your Writing with Full-Body Creativity

Embodied writing: somatic practices to improve your work, finding inspiration in dreams, with amy bonnaffons.

Our dreams are fertile fields of inspiration, meaning, and creativity. Learn how to use your dreams as doorways to future writing.

Finding the Real Story: Essential Elements of Story in Fiction and Memoir

Address the larger issues of writing story through a look at the essential elements of narrative in fiction and memoir.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Short Story

Food Writing: Food-Focused Memoir

With jennifer billock.

The food we eat and enjoy tells volumes about our lives and experiences. Write it all down in this food memoir course, with Jennifer Billock.

From Memory: Writing Fiction or Memoir from Lived Experience

With chin-sun lee.

In this class, you'll use a nearly infinite resource—your own memory—to craft compelling fiction or nonfiction stories.

From Pitch to Publication: Writing Narrative Journalism

Explore literary journalism as a powerful means to share fascinating characters, stories, and perspectives. Learn all you need to start pitching, landing, and writing reported essays and features.

From the Source: Journaling for Self-Knowledge and Creativity

Journal to discover yourself, find a wellspring of creativity, and produce publication-ready pieces.

Get Back to That Book

With donna levin.

For any number of reasons, the book we want to write gets waylaid. Get back to it in this motivational two part workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Novel

Get Clear on Your Story and Voice

With nadia colburn.

What is your story about? What is your voice? Whether you write poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, hone your writing in this 3 hour workshop.

Get It Done: Create the Scaffolding to Start (and Finish) a Writing Project

With eman quotah.

Get your butt in the chair, your mind roaming freely, and your creative juices flowing in this motivational, all-genres writing class.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Get Your Book Done Intensive! 4 Weeks to Measurable Progress

The summer is the best time to get the ball rolling on your book. Join us if you really want to get your book into the world.

Get Your Book Noticed: Writing Loglines That Sell

Your logline helps you query agents, market your book, and figure out the story itself. Hone your logline and set your book up for success in this Zoom workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

How to Firm Up the “Mushy Middle” of Any Story

Ensure a strong middle throughline for any story. Say goodbye to the "mushy middle," and hello to stories that work.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Humor Is The New Black!

Ready to add a splash of fun to your writing life? Join us for a four-week humor writing class. We’ll read. We’ll laugh. We’ll write. We’ll experiment.

I’ve Drunk Your Poisoned Nectar: Writing with the Goddess

With shankar narayan.

Dig deep into the rich mythology of South Asian goddesses to find new inspiration for your work in this generative, open-genre writing class.

In Your Own Words: Transforming Life Into Memoir and Fiction

Learn how to draw inspiration and material from your life experiences or those of people you know, or want to know, to craft compelling, publishable memoirs, personal essays, autobiographical novels and short stories, and/or narrative poetry.

Let It Rip: The Art of Writing Fiery Prose

You'll write prose that gets folks so hot and bothered they won't be able to put it down, even if it isn't about sex.

Make Your Prose Sing

With leslie lawrence.

Enrich your prose with techniques from poetry. Bring paper and pens; leave with a better ear and lots of ideas about how to make your prose sing.

Next-Level Creative Nonfiction: Elevating Essays, Memoir, Travel Writing & Literary Journalism

With wendy call.

Elevate your memoir, travel writing, literary journalism, & lyric and personal essays.

No More Excuses! Four Weeks to Finish and Submit Your Personal Essay or Short Memoir

Join us for this insightful four-week “get the writing done” program, give and receive thoughtful comments from your fellow writers and the instructor, and enjoy heaps of encouragement and writing wisdom along the way.

Observing What’s Vivid in Prose and Poetry

With marc olmsted.

Learn how to spotlight beauty through fresh, vivid, and surprising language, in this four week mindfulness writing course.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story , Stage and Broadcast

Oral Storytelling Techniques for Writing Flash Nonfiction

With corey rosen.

In this class, you'll harness the power of oral storytelling to craft exceptional pieces of written nonfiction.

Overcome Writing Anxiety: Boost Your Storytelling Confidence in Four Short Weeks!

"Who are you to want to write?" Someone great, that's who! Politely ask Mr. or Ms. Fear to step aside while you sign up for this fun, freeing and functional adventure.

Scene Study: Strengthen Your Writing with Compelling Scenes

With susan pohlman.

Great stories are constructed with great scenes. Immerse your reader in your stories by learning the ropes of scene development.

Secrets & Confessions: Writing Deeply Personal Nonfiction

In this fully anonymous class, we will write and share the secrets we hold closest to our chests, and turn those secrets into compelling creative nonfiction. 

Story Lab: The Story-Subplot Connection

Subplots are key to maintaining narrative pace and tension in a story. Drive your story forward with this deep dive into the elements of good storytelling.

Suspense Sells! Power Up Your Writing With Conflict, Tension and Emotion

Inject suspense into your stories to keep readers turning pages. For writers of all kinds of fiction: thrillers, mysteries, romance, humor, literary and memoir. A four week class with Giulietta Nardone.

Tales From The Memory Palace: 6 to 250 Word Memoirs

Course full. Contact us to join waitlist.

If you want to be an in demand storyteller in the digital age, you need to get in, get out and get going. In this "short" four-week memoir writing adventure, you'll learn to scope out, swoop down and snatch up important memories from your life then speed write them into miniature masterpieces.

Techwashed!: Writing with AI, Data, and Surveillance

Raise a mirror against society's relationship to technology in this two part workshop series where we will learn how to write about tech.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Novel , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

The Body and Soul of Your Memoir: Shape, Focus, and Write Your Memoir

With caryn mirriam-goldberg.

Unearth your memoir's soul (its main focus and calling) and body (its organization and structure) as you write toward a completed draft. 

The Chronology of Mind: From Journal to Poem or Prose

With barbara henning.

Gather material through writing and experimenting with journaling, researching and taking notes to develop into poems or prose works.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Memoir , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

The Soundtrack of Your Life: Writing About Music, Memories and Mix Tapes

In a song inspired class, write several essays about the music that has moved you through life: the emotions, the relationships, the events, the outcomes.

The Surprising Sentence: Honing Your Prose Style

With jessie roy.

Great sentences stack up into great stories. Learn how to hone your style and voice at the most basic unit of writing, the sentence, in this workshop.

The Wandering Heart: Tales of Connection

Wander through the rooms of your own life to discover stories of deep connection, reconnection or loss of connection and fashion your findings into stories suitable for blog posts, essays, short memoirs, short plays, scenes in screenplays, or chapters of novels.

Creative Nonfiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir

These Fragments: From Journal Pages to Personal Essays

Learn to harvest the raw creativity of journaling into inspired, publication-worthy personal essays.

Toying with the Truth: Writing the Personal Essay

Experiment with creative nonfiction forms and find the best way to tell your personal stories. Write a short piece each week, and choose one draft to polish. 

Using Your Poetry Skills to Write Memoir

With freesia mckee.

How do poets tell their stories in prose? Take the leap from poetry to memoir in this hybrid writing workshop.

Creative Nonfiction , Live Workshop , Memoir , Poetry

Word Flashes & Eye Snapshots: Sketching Your Life Awake

For any writer wanting to root writing in vision and vision in the body: for poetry, fiction, essay, memoir & pleasure.

Writing Circle Workshop: Writing for Happiness, Healing, and Health (Monday/Friday)

With susan vespoli.

Expressive writing can be a powerful elixir for what ails you. Learn and practice tools for writing expressively, including two virtual writing circles each week, turn raw writing into poetry or prose, and come away with a better understanding of how writing can lead toward wellness.

Creative Nonfiction , Fiction , Lifestyle and Wellness , Memoir , Personal Essay , Poetry , Short Story

Writing Circle Workshop: Writing for Happiness, Healing, and Health (Tuesday/Saturday)

Writing place in creative nonfiction.

In Creative Nonfiction, place is a character in itself. Deeply explore a narrative and a place of your choosing, and make weekly progress on your essay or memoir.

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• Classes You're Interested In

Gotham Writers

Memoir writing i.

Memoir Writing I is a 10-week workshop, which includes lectures, exercises, and the critiquing of student projects. It’s for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on the fundamentals. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.

Every life holds many tales. Whether your life is wildly unconventional or relatively normal, there’s bound to be something fascinating about it. That’s why the contemporary memoir—everyday people telling their stories—has become such a popular phenomenon. A memoir covers an aspect of a life, whether it’s a short piece about, say, a bicycle ride with a friend, or a book about, say, your entire childhood.

To make readers care, your memoir must be told with the finesse of fiction. Here you’ll learn techniques for focusing your life stories, as well as well as writing craft and how to market your work.

Whether you seek to write essay-length pieces or a book, we’ll show you how to best tell the stories from your life.

A soul searching, cathartic, life changing, validating experience that was way more than just a writing course.

Chantal Hewitt

A memoir is similar to a personal essay; both incorporate elements from the writer’s life. But a personal essay focuses more on the viewpoint, and a memoir focuses more on the story. Gotham also offers courses on Essay & Opinion Writing and an Intensive on Personal Essay Writing .

Upcoming Classes NYC COVID Info

• Starts Tuesday, July 9 NYC , 2pm – 5pm ET 10-Week Workshop Kyleigh Leddy
• Starts Thursday, July 11 4 spots left Zoom , 7pm – 10pm ET 10-Week Workshop Stacy Pershall
• Starts Wednesday, July 17 NYC , 7pm – 10pm ET 10-Week Workshop A. Hansen Miller
• Starts Tuesday, July 23 Online , anytime 10-Week Workshop Amanda Oliver
• Starts Tuesday, August 6 Online , anytime 10-Week Workshop Jil Picariello
• Starts Tuesday, September 10 Online , anytime 10-Week Workshop
• Starts Tuesday, October 8 Online , anytime 10-Week Workshop
• Starts Tuesday, November 12 Online , anytime 10-Week Workshop
• Class Full. Join wait list. Starts Tuesday, July 9 Online , anytime 10-Week Workshop Nan Mooney
• Class Full. Join wait list. Starts Wednesday, July 17 Zoom , 7pm – 10pm ET 10-Week Workshop Cindy House

Registration fee $25, paid once per term

To register for a 10-Week course, you need to pay in full to guarantee your place in class. Or you can pay a $95 deposit plus a $25 registration fee (total $120) to temporarily hold your place, but tuition must be paid in full 10 business days before your class starts or you risk losing your spot.

Anytime, week-long sessions

Tuition: $439 (returning students: $409)

Tour an Online Class

Tuition: $465 (returning students: $435)

Tour an NYC Class

Real-time videoconference

Tour a Zoom Class

Tuition: $1,795

Explore One-on-One Options

This course gives you a firm grounding in the basics of memoir craft and gets you writing a short memoir (or two) or a book. Course components:      Lectures      Writing exercises      Workshopping of student projects (each student presenting work two times) New York City/Zoom classes The syllabus varies from teacher to teacher, term to term. Many topics will be similar to those covered in the Online classes.

Online classes  Week 1 Introduction to Memoir: The contemporary memoir defined. Short and long memoirs. Finding the “who cares?” in your story. Focusing on an aspect of your life. Types of memoirs—coming of age, adversity, relationship, career, travel.

Week 2 Mining Your Memory: How “true” must it be? Researching your past. The balance of being “actor” and “observer.” Not using memoir as therapy. Facing the truth.

Week 3 Character: Thinking of real people as characters. Making characters dimensional through desire and contrasts. Creating character profiles. Showing vs. Telling. Methods for showing characters.

Week 4 Plot: Finding a major dramatic question. Shaping a beginning, middle, and end. The difference between short and long plots. Pros and cons of outlining.

Week 5 Description: Using the senses. Specificity. Techniques for creativity. Finding the right words. Merging description with point of view.

Week 6 Dialogue: The importance of scene. Turning real life conversations into dialogue. Quotation marks and tags. Stage directions. Summarized dialogue. Characterization through dialogue. Subtext.

Week 7 Point of View/Voice: Point of view defined. First person and other memoir alternatives. Voice defined. Exploration of the various types of voice. Tips for finding your voice.

Week 8 Setting/Pacing: Creating setting through time, place, and weather. Description of setting. Mood and emotion of setting. How to manipulate time through pacing. Flashbacks.

Week 9 Theme/Revision: Theme defined. Types of theme. Weaving theme into a story. Exploration of the various stages of revision.

Week 10 The Business: Proper format for manuscripts. How to target publishing houses, literary magazines, and agents. How to send your work out. Query letters.

Note: Content may vary among individual classes.

A. Hansen Miller

A. Hansen Miller has published essays, articles, and poems in the New York Times , Line of Advance , Columbia Journal , Salt Hill Journal , Raffish , and the Journal of Military Experience , and been anthologized in The Weight of My Armor (Parlor Press). His essay “Threads of Fiction” was adapted into the short film Solemn Return. Formerly he was an editor for the Syracuse Peace Council Newsletter , the nonfiction editor of the Journal of Military Experience , and the online managing editor of Columbia Journal . He served as an artillery officer in the US Army overseas in South Korea and Afghanistan, deployed to Afghanistan a second time as a military intelligence officer, and was honorably discharged at the rank of captain. He is a cofounder and board member of the Ivy League Veterans Council, a cofounder of the Charlotte Veterans Writing Group, a cofounder of the Moral Injury Project at Syracuse University, and a former group leader of the Syracuse Veterans Writing Group. He holds a BA from Illinois Wesleyan University and an MFA in creative nonfiction from Columbia University.

Amanda Oliver

Amanda Oliver is the author of the nonfiction book Overdue: Reckoning With the Public Library (Chicago Review Press), and her essays have appeared in Electric Literature , the Los Angeles Times , the  Rumpus , PANK , and Medium , among many others. She is the nonfiction editor of Joyland Magazine , and she has taught for the University of California at Riverside. She holds a BA and an MLS from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and an MFA in nonfiction from the University of California at Riverside. 

Cindy House

Cindy House is the author of the memoir Mother Noise (Scribner/Marysue Rucci Books), and her essays and short fiction have appeared in Passengers Journal , Lily Poetry Review , Wig Leaf , Solstice Literary Magazine , Longleaf Review , and So To Speak , among others. She is a humorist who opens regularly for David Sedaris at Kennedy Center, Symphony Hall, and The Town Hall in New York, among others. She teaches in the MFA program at Lesley University. She attended the School of the Art Institute in Chicago and holds an MFA in Fiction from Lesley University. 

Jil Picariello

Jil Picariello is the co-author of the memoir Jessica Lost   (Union Square Press). She is the Theater Editor for  ZealNYC , and her nonfiction has appeared in Afar , Food + Wine , New York , Seventeen , and USA Today . She has worked as a copywriter for New York and People , as copy chief for The Parenting Group at Time Warner, and as copy director for Reader’s Digest . She has taught at Media Bistro. She holds a BFA from New York University and an MFA in creative writing from The New School.

Kyleigh Leddy

Kyleigh Leddy is the author of the memoir The Perfect Other: A Memoir of My Sister (HarperCollins), which is based on her New York Times Modern Love essay “My Sister Disappeared Years Ago. I See Her Whenever I Want.” Her essays and articles have also appeared in New York Magazine , Parents, People ,  QCODE , and the Journal of Experimental Psychology, among others. She has worked for Parents magazine. She holds a BA from Boston College and an MSW from Columbia University.

Nan Mooney is the author of the memoir My Racing Heart: The Passionate World of Thoroughbreds and the Track  (HarperCollins), and the nonfiction books (Not) Keeping Up With Our Parents (Beacon Press) and I Can't Believe She Did That: Why Women Betray Other Women at Work (St. Martin's Press). Her nonfiction has also appeared in The   Atlantic,  the Washington Post, Slate , Motherwell , Alternet , and Babble.  She holds a BA from Scripps College.

Stacy Pershall

Stacy Pershall is the author of the memoir Loud in the House of Myself    (W.W. Norton), selected for the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Program, and her work is included in the anthologies Lost and Found  (W.W. Norton) and Spent (Seal Press). She has taught at Writopia, Pratt Manhattan, City College of New York, and the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. She holds a BA from the University of Arkansas and an MFA in Performance Art from the University of Cincinnati.

has published essays, articles, and poems in the New York Times , Line of Advance , Columbia Journal , Salt Hill Journal , Raffish , and the Journal of Military Experience , and been anthologized in The Weight of My Armor (Parlor Press). His essay “Threads of Fiction” was adapted into the short film Solemn Return . Formerly he was an editor for the Syracuse Peace Council Newsletter , the nonfiction editor of the Journal of Military Experience , and the online managing editor of Columbia Journal . He served as an artillery officer in the US Army overseas in South Korea and Afghanistan, deployed to Afghanistan a second time as a military intelligence officer, and was honorably discharged at the rank of captain. He is a cofounder and board member of the Ivy League Veterans Council, a cofounder of the Charlotte Veterans Writing Group, a cofounder of the Moral Injury Project at Syracuse University, and a former group leader of the Syracuse Veterans Writing Group. He holds a BA from Illinois Wesleyan University and an MFA in creative nonfiction from Columbia University.

is the author of the nonfiction book Overdue: Reckoning With the Public Library (Chicago Review Press), and her essays have appeared in Electric Literature , the Los Angeles Times , the  Rumpus , PANK , and Medium , among many others. She is the nonfiction editor of Joyland Magazine , and she has taught for the University of California at Riverside. She holds a BA and an MLS from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and an MFA in nonfiction from the University of California at Riverside. 

is the author of the memoir Mother Noise (Scribner/Marysue Rucci Books), and her essays and short fiction have appeared in Passengers Journal , Lily Poetry Review , Wig Leaf , Solstice Literary Magazine , Longleaf Review , and So To Speak , among others. She is a humorist who opens regularly for David Sedaris at Kennedy Center, Symphony Hall, and The Town Hall in New York, among others. She teaches in the MFA program at Lesley University. She attended the School of the Art Institute in Chicago and holds an MFA in Fiction from Lesley University. 

is the co-author of the memoir Jessica Lost   (Union Square Press). She is the Theater Editor for  ZealNYC , and her nonfiction has appeared in Afar , Food + Wine , New York , Seventeen , and USA Today . She has worked as a copywriter for New York and People , as copy chief for The Parenting Group at Time Warner, and as copy director for Reader’s Digest . She has taught at Media Bistro. She holds a BFA from New York University and an MFA in creative writing from The New School.

is the author of the memoir The Perfect Other: A Memoir of My Sister (HarperCollins), which is based on her New York Times Modern Love essay “My Sister Disappeared Years Ago. I See Her Whenever I Want.” Her essays and articles have also appeared in New York Magazine , Parents, People ,  QCODE , and the Journal of Experimental Psychology, among others. She has worked for Parents magazine. She holds a BA from Boston College and an MSW from Columbia University.

is the author of the memoir My Racing Heart: The Passionate World of Thoroughbreds and the Track   (HarperCollins), and the nonfiction books (Not) Keeping Up With Our Parents (Beacon Press) and I Can't Believe She Did That: Why Women Betray Other Women at Work (St. Martin's Press). Her nonfiction has also appeared in The   Atlantic,  the Washington Post, Slate , Motherwell , Alternet , and Babble.  She holds a BA from Scripps College.

is the author of the memoir Loud in the House of Myself    (W.W. Norton), selected for the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Program, and her work is included in the anthologies Lost and Found  (W.W. Norton) and Spent (Seal Press). She has taught at Writopia, Pratt Manhattan, City College of New York, and the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. She holds a BA from the University of Arkansas and an MFA in Performance Art from the University of Cincinnati.

Related Courses

Essay & opinion writing i.

Various types of viewpoint writing—essays, op-eds, reviews, and more.

Humor Writing

Prose writing with a humorous slant—fiction, memoir, essay, you name it.

Creative Nonfiction 101

A great entry point for the creative forms of nonfiction—memoir, essay, feature articles, reviews, etc.

Children’s Book Writers Conference

September 28-29

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Writing Certificate

We are excited to launch a new Memoir Writing Certificate in 2024!

• Two-year, part-time program
• Flexible online courses
• Take one course per quarter
• Connect with a dynamic cohort
• Receive peer feedback
• Work with accomplished instructors
• Gain one-on-one mentorship

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Memoir coach and author Marion Roach

Welcome to The Memoir Project, the portal to your writing life.

Classes: Live and Recorded, for Every Level

I teach what I call “writing with intent.” There are no writing prompts or silly exercises in my online memoir classes, here on this site or in my book on how to write memoir . Why? Because while I’ve had thousands of people in my classes in recovery from all manners of addiction, the greatest number of them are in recovery from writing exercises that fritter away what little time most of us have to write. Put them away. Let me teach you to transform your work into writing that others want to read. Let’s work together in one of my online memoir writing classes. There are both live and recorded classes offered below.

I am a published author , a memoir teacher, as well as a memoir editor . This means that you are in good, experienced hands here. I know what it means to bring a book to the market. But first, I know how to write that book.

These days I teach online, and each virtual memoir writing class is designed to teach you how to become a fine memoir writer, whether you want to blog, write personal essays, Op-Eds, or book-length memoir. I’ve written and published all of those forms of memoir, in publications including The New York Times Magazine , The New York Times Science pages, The Los Angeles Times and the four biggest mass-market publishers of books .

Want a full description of each of my online memoir classes? Click on those of interest below. Taken all of the classes below already? Work with me or one of our skilled editors one-on-one through  our memoir-editing/coaching services .

Live Classes for Beginners

Memoirama 1

Everyone starts here . Learn Discover the principles of good memoir, get the tools to start writing immediately, and ask me questions during the live Q&A. 

Memoirama 2

Take this next. Learn book structure. Get direct feedback from Marion as you map out your book beat by beat, chapter by chapter, and scene by scene.

How to Write Opinion Pieces

Ready to Write & Publish? Test your voice in the world by writing solid pieces for newspaper op-ed pages, public radio, and digital sites. Ask me questions during the live Q&A. 

The Advanced Memoir Classes 

The master class.

Now you can write a book. Limited to 6 students, in this class you will write the first draft of your book and receive feedback. The class meets live, online for 3 hours, once a month for six months.

Your Memoir Project

Want it now? This is the Master Class, but self-paced and recorded. Learn to write book-length memoir, but without waiting for the next live Master Class to begin. Six recorded episodes and a workbook.

Recorded Classes for Both Beginners & Advanced Students

Memoirama 1 — recorded.

Entry level class. Discover the foundational principles of good memoir, get the tools to start writing immediately, and ask me questions during the live Q&A. 

Memoirama 2 — Recorded

Take this next. This class focuses on a key aspect of any successful memoir: structure. Map it out beat by beat, chapter by chapter, and scene by scene so that you can go home with a working structure for your memoir.

How to Write Opinion Pieces — Recorded

Take this third. Learn how to launch your writing career by writing solid pieces for newspaper op-ed pages, public radio airing, and publication on digital sites.

How to Write a Personal Essay — Recorded

Taught only in recorded form. Essays are a wonderful way to gain the exposure you need to write memoir without committing to writing a full book. In this class, I’ll teach you the framework I’ve used to write dozens of personal essays that have been read by hundreds and thousands of people.

Your Memoir Project 

Write your book. This recorded course features all the lecture material and instruction from The Master Class (see above), teaching you to write book-length memoir at your own, self-paced speed. Six episodes plus a workbook.

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NEW VIDEO COURSE

Learn How to Write a Novel, Join Tom Bromley for a writing master class.

Learn How to Write a Novel

Finish your draft in our 3-month master class. Enroll now for daily lessons, weekly critique, and live events. Your first lesson is free!

37 Best Memoir Creative Writing Classes in 2024

Showing 37 courses that match your search.

Narrative Structure for Fiction Writers

Writing NSW

In this writing course, we will discuss some non-fiction literary forms, such as memoir, essays, creative non-fiction and theme-driven autobiographical work and the differences between them, in helping situate the participant’s own work within this genre.

Website: https://writingnsw.org.au/whats-on/courses/the-art-of-wri...

Categories: Memoir

Start date:

August, 2024

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Jumpstart Your Writing

Through a series of engaging writing exercises, we will mine our experiences and imagination for material and bring what we find to life on the page, constructing characters and settings, shaping vivid dialogue, creating imagery, and exploring the nuances of voice.

Website: https://grubstreet.org/workshop/jumpstart-your-writing-su...

Prerequisites: For writers age 13 - 18 ONLY.

Crafting Your Life into Story

The Writer's Center

Learn how to identify several pivotal events of your life and shape one of them into a work of fiction or non-fiction. Following a tried-and-true formula, you will learn how to identify, begin, and structure an autobiographical story, whether fiction or non-fiction.

Website: https://writer.org/event/crafting-your-life-into-story/

September, 2024

How to Write a Novel

Your story matters. Unlock your potential with daily video lessons from bestselling ghostwriter Tom Bromley, and finish your first draft in just 3 months. Learn more →

Jumpstart Your Memoir (In Person: Seaport)

This course has a very clear mission: to get you started on your memoir. Through a series of targeted writing exercises, we will explore the terrain of memoir writing: mining for material, constructing settings, finding emotional stakes and turning points, and looking for connecting threads to identify your overarching theme.

Website: https://grubstreet.org/workshop/jumpstart-your-memoir-su2...

Jumpstart Your Memoir (Online: Zoom)

This course has a very clear mission: to get you started on your memoir. Through a series of targeted writing exercises, we will explore the terrain of memoir writing: mining for material, constructing settings, shaping vivid dialogue, and honing your voice.

Website: https://grubstreet.org/workshop/jumpstart-your-memoir-und...

Micro Memoirs

Join us to explore the elements of memoir in small manageable bites. We’ll read and discuss Micro Memoirs, also called Flash Memoir, (50-250 words) to inspire your own writing and enhance your storytelling skills.

Website: https://writer.org/event/micro-memoirs/

Poetic Memoir

Poems can capture the most meaningful moments of your life and evoke their essence in a reader. In this course you’ll begin to learn how to focus on such moments and present them so they illustrate you in your life and imply its arc.

Website: https://writer.org/event/poetic-memoir/

Creative Writing Course: Memoir & Life Writing

Sydney Community College

Put simply, life experience, combined with a desire to write, qualifies you to tell your own story. Our experiences shape us and inform our world view, and nobody navigates life without struggle. Our personal circumstances, our observations of the world, and our personalities make us all unique individuals, and therefore the narratives of our lives are just as unique.

Website: https://www.sydneycommunitycollege.edu.au/course/WRMM

Turning Family Gossip and Tales into Short Stories and Novels

Sarah Lawrence College Writing Institute

Our lives are rich with stories passed on from families and friends. How do you decide what's material for a short story or a novel that anyone outside your family will want to read? In this generative writing intensive, we'll engage in writing exercises that help us explore this question.

Website: https://slc.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.Class...

Writing the Taboo with Suzanne Robert

Story Studio Chicago

In this generative class, we will be focusing on creative nonfiction and memoir–writing about the topics we have been encouraged not to bring up in “polite conversation.” Through a series of generative writing exercises, we will break through the secrecy and shame that too often accompany taboo subjects.

Website: https://www.storystudiochicago.org/classes/classes/writin...

Complicating the Characters

Lighthouse Writers Workshop

In her seminal piece, “Complicating the Narrative,” the journalist Amanda Ripley urges storytellers to find and include details that don’t fit the narrative—on purpose. In this three-hour workshop, we’ll apply this principle to our own writing.

Website: https://lighthousewriters.org/workshop/complicating-chara...

Memoir Writing Masterclass

The Memoir Writing Club

This 12-week interactive online course, led by Irene Graham, focuses on the art of memoir writing. It includes a memoir writing workbook, audio lessons, live group sessions, and personalized mentorship. Suitable for writers at all levels, from beginners to those revising their memoirs, the course offers a comprehensive journey into crafting a memoir​​​​.

Website: https://www.thememoirwritingclub.com/memoir-writing-cours...

January, 2025

How to choose a memoir writing class

Looking to build your writing skillset, learn more about your genre, or finally finish that memoir you’ve been working on? You’re in the right place. That’s why we built this directory of the best creative writing courses.

However, creative writing classes aren’t one size fit all. If you’re planning to join a memoir writing class in particular, you’ll want to make sure that it matches what you’re seeking to learn about writing memoirs.

So make sure to consider the following questions when you’re researching memoir writing courses:

• Who is the instructor? How many years of experience do they have in writing memoirs?
• Is there something in particular you’d like to learn about memoirs? Does this course include it?
• How long is the course, and where is it taught?
• How much does the memoir writing course cost? Does it fit into your budget?

More memoir writing resources

Whether you’re a new or established author, there are always evergreen resources out there to how to get a headstart on memoir writing. 

Free online materials

• How to Write a Memoir (blog post)
• What is a Memoir? (blog post)
• Get tips on crafting your first novel (blog post)
• How to Edit a Book (blog post)
• How to Write a Book Proposal (blog post)

Recommended books

• For writers in the UK:  Writers' & Artists' Yearbook  
• For writers in the US:  Writer’s Market 2020

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Memoir Writing Courses and Certifications

Learn Memoir Writing, earn certificates with paid and free online courses from Wesleyan University and other top universities around the world. Read reviews to decide if a class is right for you.

• With certificate (8)
• Free course (7)
• University course only (5)
• Beginner (10)
• < 30 mins (1)
• 30 - 60 mins (4)
• 1 - 2 hours (5)
• 2 - 5 hours (1)
• 5 - 10 hours (7)
• 10+ hours (1)
• English (20)
• Spanish (1)

Memoir and Personal Essay: Managing Your Relationship with the Reader

The blank page can be the most daunting obstacle in writing. In this course, aspiring writers will assemble a “starter kit” for approaching the blank page by developing constructive ways to think about the writing process as a whole.

• 5 hours 6 minutes
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Memoir and Personal Essay: Write About Yourself

Learn to write compelling personal narratives with Wesleyan University's 17-week course. Master memoir and personal essay writing through tips, exercises, and challenges.

• 17 weeks, 2 hours a week
• Paid Course

Kick start your memoir - writing exercises

Building your confidence and igniting your memory enabling you to start writing a memoir with these writing exercises

Crafting Memoir: How to Outline Your Own Hero's Journey

Learn to structure your memoir using the Hero's Journey in this 30-minute class by award-winning author Tammy Letherer. Understand common mistakes, draft your first chapter, and keep writing.

• Free Trial Available

Memoir Journaling: Make Your Life Richer Through Stories

Join Lana Blakely in this short course to learn memoir journaling, focusing on five senses to enrich life experiences and enhance storytelling skills.

Memoir Writing: Write a Personal Story for a Universal Audience

Learn how to write a compelling personal narrative by exploring different literary devices and story structures

• 1 hour 11 minutes

How to Write a Full-Length Memoir

How to Write a Full-Length Memoir with Joyce Maynard

• CreativeLive
• 5 hours 8 minutes

Memoir 101: Writing About Your Life

So, you want to write a memoir but you’re not sure where to start? No worries, you don’t need to be an expert writer to tell your story in a compelling…

• 1 hour 2 minutes

Writing The Truth: How to Start Writing Your Memoir

Learn memoir writing from legendary memoirist Mary Karr. Engage in memory-focused exercises, develop your unique voice, and write with the five senses. Less than 1-hour workload.

Capstone: Your Story

In this 7-week course by Wesleyan University, draft and revise a complete 8-15 page story, narrative essay, or memoir, culminating in an original work of art.

• 7 hours 11 minutes

Writing in First Person Point of View

If you have always wanted to tell your own story—in a memoir, first-person essay, or any other form of autobiographical non-fiction—but felt you lacked the tools or the framework, this is the class for you.

• 5 hours 58 minutes

Writing a Personal Essay

This class is the chance to create your personal essay or extend into a full memoir -- from planning and structure to bold narrative brushstrokes to the layering of significant detail.

• 6 hours 30 minutes

Master the 5 Key Elements of Story

Learn the 5 key elements of storytelling in less than an hour. Gain insights to improve your writing and engage your audience more profoundly. Ideal for fiction and memoir writers.

• Free Online Course

Creative Writing: Begin with the Body

Explore creative writing through the lens of the physical body in this under 1-hour course. Led by essayist Chelsea Hodson, it's perfect for beginners to advanced writers.

Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays with Impact

Join best-selling author Roxane Gay in a 1-2 hour masterclass to craft impactful personal essays. Learn to find your story, connect with your audience, and make a difference through writing.

• 1 hour 1 minute

Never Stop Learning.

Get personalized course recommendations, track subjects and courses with reminders, and more.

MEMOIR WRITING COURSE ONLINE

• Course Dates & Fees
• Course Details
• View all Courses

“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” ~Paulo Coelho

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This course triggers memories and nurtures creativity as you learn the art of writing memoir.

The 12-week Online Memoir Writing Course is interactive with audios and The Memoir Writing Workbook . Using reviewed submissions, LIVE Group sessions, and a private session with your mentor, Irene Graham, you discover the tools and skills to bring your story to life… and write your memoir.

Step by step, guiding you through story development and structure – we’ll travel with you toward a destination you can be proud of.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS MEMOIR WRITING COURSE?

We use right-brain/left-brain learning techniques and visual writing exercises to help you access forgotten memories. They help you develop your story visually, making it easier to ‘see’ your story before writing it… thereby saving a lot of writing time.

The techniques you learn in this course can be used to aid all forms of writing – not just memoir.

THE MEMOIR WRITING WORKBOOK by IRENE GRAHAM

You receive a copy of The Memoir Writing Workbook via post. The workbook is completely interactive with the online course.

The Memoir Writing Workbook is a comprehensive 230 page workbook. Throughout the course participants follow a unique ‘memoir map’ that guides them through the a to z of writing memoir.

Filled with writing tips, each chapter explores the elements of memoir writing: Events, People, Setting and Environment, Theme, Truth, POV and Structure. It also includes 36 writing exercises that use right-brain/left-brain visual writing techniques and concepts, which show you how to creatively weave your life experiences into an engaging memoir.

The Memoir Writing Workbook  is exclusive to participants of Irene Graham’s courses and retreats, it is not sold separately.

WHAT YOU WILL ACHIEVE

Writing is like a jigsaw; one must fit each piece together to complete the whole. It’s also like baking a cake, if you leave an ingredient out, the cake won’t rise, or perhaps taste wrong. Similarly in writing, if you leave out an element, your story will be one dimensional on the page. It won’t engage the reader.

On completion of this 12-week course you will understand how to create story using life experiences and how to form a creative structure to fit your narrative. You will also develop and strengthen your writing voice.

Through learning and understanding all of these things, you will have fun as you engage with your creativity and discover a new meaning in how you came to be you… today, as you write a memoir that hops off the page!

WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR + HOW IS IT DELIVERED?

The course is for new, emerging and published writers. Due to how the course is designed, it becomes very personalised for each writer. It will therefore suit writers that have never picked up a pen, those that have done some writing, and those writers who have part written a memoir and need help with revision to focus and structure it.

Participants LOGIN to the website and gain access to the entire Online Memoir Writing Course on the start date of the course, for 12 weeks. This means you can plan your writing schedule to suit your lifestyle.

The Memoir Writing Workbook is posted to you upon registration and payment. Participants that have not received the workbook by course start date will receive a Digital Copy of the workbook with their course. The first two lessons in the course do not require the workbook.

LIVE Sessions are delivered on Sundays. LIVE Discussion times are synced to: USA | European | Canadian time zones.

WHAT THE 12-WEEK ONLINE MEMOIR WRITING COURSE INCLUDES

• 12-week Course Online – 12 x Lessons
• Hard copy full colour 230 page Memoir Writing Workbook by Irene Graham – we post it to you
• 80 Audios discussing each element of writing memoir – 2/4 minute duration each audio
• 2 x LIVE Writing Group Sessions with Irene Graham
• 2 x Submissions of Work – with feedback
• 1 x LIVE Writing Private Session with Irene Graham at the end of the course to review your memoir
• Chat Room with Irene throughout course to ask questions on your writing and story
• Chat Room for group support
• Access to reference library re question and answers on all aspects of writing memoir

Irene Graham has put together a powerful memoir course. Her materials, written and oral, offer clear instructions on creativity and structure. I deepened my knowledge of myself, along with finding stronger ways to tell the stories of my life. Irene is a superb guide and an inspiration.

COURSE FEES & DATES

Online Memoir Writing Course 12-week

US Dollar and Euro Payment Choices LIVE Discussion Times are synced to Time Zones Access our course from your Desktop | iPad | Smart Phone

US$495 / €445 – 12 weeks

Participants receive access to the entire course on the course Start Date

Participants in:	USA/Europe/Canada
Course Start Dates	LIVE Discussions
Registration ends at 6pm EST / 11pm GMT on Friday before each course
Sat 6 Jul 2024	Sundays
Sat 24 Aug 2024	Sundays
Sat 2 Nov 2024	Sundays

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The Writers Studio

The Original School of Creative Writing and Thinking, est. 1987

The Writers Studio Online

Our virtual literary community.

The Writers Studio Online Program features writing classes that use the same technique-oriented method as our other workshops, and is available to all.

We started The Writers Studio Online Program in 2001, and now offer the same five levels of writing classes online that we have developed in our New York City school. In addition, we offer online classes in memoir, essay, prose poetry, flash fiction, and more. We have taught online students from every region of the U.S. and places as diverse as Mexico, Tuscany, Tasmania, and an air-force base in Vietnam.

Our online classes are a great alternative for those who don’t live near any of our in-person classes. We also encourage busy or peripatetic students to move back and forth between online and branch workshops if that helps them stay connected to their work. Consider online classes too if traveling or hearing poses an obstacle. Often students who feel shy about jumping into an in-person class thrive in the online environment.

Virtual Classes

We offer both in-person and virtual classes in New York City and Tucson and only virtual classes in San Francisco and Rome. In these virtual classes, students are discussing texts, submitting exercises, and receiving oral critiques in our virtual classes, which take place via Google Meet or Zoom.

Distinct Online Class Experience

The Writers Studio Online Program is distinct from our virtual branch classes in that our online teachers provide each student written weekly critiques on their work. On a regular weekly schedule, students post exercises in our online classroom as well as receive and give several peer critiques. And the teacher writes a weekly critique of each student’s assignment—a degree of attention that is nearly unheard of in other writing classes.

Our online classes have three formats:

Online Typed Chat:  On a regular weekly schedule, students post exercises in our online classroom as well as receive and give written peer critiques. The teacher also writes a weekly critique of each student’s assignment — a degree of attention that is nearly unheard of in other writing classes. There is an optional weekly one-hour typed chat. A transcript of the chat is posted in the classroom each week.

Weekly Video Chat : On a regular weekly schedule, students post exercises in our online classroom as well as receive and give written peer critiques. The teacher also writes a weekly critique of each student’s assignment — a degree of attention that is nearly unheard of in other writing classes. There is a weekly, one-hour virtual discussion via Google Meet. There is no transcript or recording of the video chat.

Live Video Virtual Class:  Students attend class via Google Meet or Zoom (with or without cameras enabled). The entire class takes place during this class meeting: students share work, which is read aloud; students offer their classmates feedback; the teacher responds to each student’s work; and the teacher discusses the next week’s exercise.

All you need to take an online class is the following:

• A computer, tablet or phone with a high-speed internet connection
• An email account
• A word processing program
• The ability to save files as PDF
• One of the following browsers: Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge.

Available Online Courses

The writers studio, online and local communities.

New to The Writers Studio? Start here .

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Hudson river towns, craft class, tutorial program, all memoir courses.

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L.A. Writers' Lab with Alan Watt

the 90-day novel, the 90-day screenplay, writing workshops

• workshops overview
• the 90-day novel®
• the 90-day memoir®
• the 90-day screenplay™
• rewrite master class
• the 30-day outline
• women on the verge of a breakthrough
• Tuscany retreat
• envision: creative goal setting
• solo retreats
• consultations
• editing services

FALL SESSION September 16 - December 16, 2024 Mondays 12-1:30 pm PST

The 90-Day Memoir ®  is a Live-on-Zoom workshop with Alan Watt that will take you from initial idea to the completion of your memoir's first draft in 90 days.

"What was impossible to accomplish in ten years becomes possible in 90 days, by accessing your subconscious."

tell the story of your life

T he 90-Day Memoir ® is a day-by-day investigation into a particular series of events that in some way shaped you. We all have the story that we tell ourselves, and although the facts may be indisputable, our interpretation of those facts is often based on long-held beliefs that we have had about ourselves or the world. This means that our idea of our story is never quite the whole story. It isn't incorrect, but only incomplete.

. . . so, how can you write your memoir if you don’t know the whole story?!

In The 90-Day Memoir ® you're going to learn to trust your subconscious. Your subconscious is the seat of your genius. Genius isn't a noun, it's a verb — something we all have access to if given a safe environment and a seasoned guide to walk you through the process of marrying the wildness of your imagination to the rigor of structure .

Your subconscious is able to make connections and uncover meaning in areas that you might not have otherwise explored.  The 90-Day Memoir ® isn't interested in protecting your ego — it's after much larger game — it wants the truth. It understands, on a fundamental level, that when you gain perspective on the events of your life, you're liberated from the limiting beliefs that held you hostage.

Some of the most impactful memoirs depict challenging experiences as a means of tracking their protagonist's journey to some kind of deeper truth by reframing the meaning they made out of their struggle.

This truth is your birthright — and by claiming a coherent narrative for your life, you are always led to freedom, to an absence of shame, and to a deeper connection to yourself and the world.

"You're not the author, you're the channel."

about the workshop

live on Zoom

We meet once a week in a LIVE Zoom call on Mondays from 12:00 - 1:30 pm Pacific Time, for 14 weeks, followed immediately by a live Q&A to answer any questions that emerge. The workshop is a combination of craft lessons and stream-of-consciousness writing exercises where writers read their work and I work with a number of writers one-on-one to illustrate the principles.

watch the class anytime

You are not required to take the workshop live. Many writers have day jobs or commitments during class hours, or sometimes life just gets in the way, therefore all of our sessions are recorded and are available for three weeks, respectively.

Every workshop ends with a review of your homework, followed by a Q&A where I answer all of your questions . This is a time to gain clarity on the principles discussed. The goal is leave each session with a basic confidence in where you are heading for that week.

daily letters

Every morning a daily letter lands in your inbox. The letters were developed over the course of several years, and are a day-by-day guide through the process . Writers often comment on the synchronicity of the letters — on how they seem to meet you right where you are. While the letters focus on craft, they are also a response to the uncanny uniformity of experience shared by the many writers who have taken the 90-day journey before you.

group forum

The group forum is where you connect with your fellow classmates to share your experiences, hold yourself accountable, and take part in the daily discussion topics. Over the course of 90 days we discover that we're not alone - that our private struggles are universal and often provide clues into the world of our story.

one-on-one story consults

Over the course of the 90-day workshop I offer one-on-one story consults to current students where you can send me your three-page outline and I review it, make notes, and help you explore the most dynamic and compelling way to tell your story. There are a limited number of spots for this service. One-on-one consults are available at a special discount to writers paying the suggested workshop donation price. Consults are normally $650 (or $325 with the special discount — 50% off the regular price).

on a budget?

If you are unable to take the workshop live, you can still experience all the classes, the Q&A and the daily letters. Audit the 90-Day Memoir for $500.

want a breakthrough right now?

In this free 90-minute video, I'll lead you to a deeper understanding of your novel, by guiding you through the process of marrying the wildness of your imagination to the rigor of story structure.

"Over 80,000 writers have taken the 90-day journey."

meet your teacher

Hi, I'm Alan. They call me the Story Whisperer. I teach a process of marrying passion to craft to tell compelling stories. My students range from first-time writers to best-selling authors and filmmakers who've won numerous accolades for their work including the Pulitzer Prize.

L.A. Writers' Lab's mission is to help writers build a body of work. If you have a story to tell and are seeking support, guidance and community, then welcome. I look forward to working with you.

why writers love the 90-day memoir®

“Writing a memoir is a journey inside of yourself, coming to terms with the highs and lows and lessons every life teaches. It is that honest, raw, revelatory account that others will want to read and learn from.  Al Watt’s 90-Day Memoir ®  is a masterful guided tour  to that interior world, structured perfectly. And, amazingly to me, it ends with a mostly completed rough draft in just three months. That’s something many of us have spent years trying to accomplish. The secret is Al’s empathy and teaching methods—asking his students to address the episodes they most want to resist. Few teachers can get their students to really think through the dark night of their soul and how that led to their eventual success and indeed transformation. Al insists he is not a therapist, and this writing course is not therapy. Well, for me, it was full of deep personal revelations, helping me make sense of my life and be able to write about it in ways that had always eluded me. In short, I simply don’t believe you can go wrong with this extraordinary teacher and his writing blueprint.”

Bill Buzenberg

“This is the best class I’ve ever taken, and I’ve taken many in my time. I went from ‘writing a memoir is impossible’ to completing my first manuscript. Al has a genius method to unlock your subconscious and get you writing. I’ve been able to drop all of my fears and get it done, which is remarkable.”

Sherold Barr

“I already had an MFA and I teach and direct a college creative writing program, but I really didn’t have an organic understanding of story. Al’s ability to merge intuition and structure is unique and invaluable. I was able to work through my outline-phobia because of the way he approached structure as a holistic approach, rather than a rigid box. Al encourages the writer to live within the questions of the story, not the answers.”

Laraine Herring

“Al Watt is a story guru. Plain and simple. His writing prompts encourage you to dig deep and allow your subconscious to show up on the page. I’m always amazed at what I produce in Al’s class and also how connected to my story he makes me feel. If you are willing to let go of plot, Al will help you find the heartbeat of your story. And then, he’ll drill story structure into your head! I’ve taken a lot of writing classes, but working with Al provided the roadmap to complete my debut novel – the one I’d been thinking about writing for years, and now, finally, the first draft of a memoir, a story I never thought I could tell.”

Marcie Maxfield

“The workshop was without a doubt the key to getting my travel memoir about living with the poor in Vietnam out of a rut. Al is brilliant and has an uncanny ability to draw out of your issues and angles you didn’t know you had in you. It was also fascinating to hear the work of other writers and then learn from Al’s comments to them. I finished my book and had offers from two publishing houses.”

Karin Esterhammer

“I have two Masters Degrees, one from an Ivy League University, and I must say The 90-Day Memoir® is one of the most thought-provoking courses/workshops I have ever taken.”

“Al Watt is extraordinary. Having had many powerful teachers, creative and otherwise, in my journey, I’m thankful to have had my share of amazing, often world-class instruction. Al is in a league all his own. His well-homed and well-earned mastery of the craft of writing, his awareness of the human condition, and his own very apparent evolution as a person, among many other qualities, coincide to create an experience like no other. If you have the opportunity to study with Al, don’t miss it. I give both Al Watt and his workshops my highest recommendation.”

Robert Gant

“A line of heat and propulsion carries readers through the best memoirs. Al Watt, somewhat miraculously, has located all the levers and portals into that flow. With deep wisdom and compassion, he guides writers to the way it courses through their stories. A master technician, he’s also part-mystic, part-soothsayer. Take his class, write your memoir and be transformed. What a ride!”

“Al’s memoir class is part structure journey, part shamanic tracking of self and part healing ceremony.”

Linda Kay Stevens

“Alan is the best writing instructor on the planet. He shines a light and steps out of the way. He honors the creative process and he respects the writer’s soul. He is insightful and caring and generous. I feel lucky to have crossed paths with such an inspiring person.”

A'ni Santiago

“I had been unsuccessfully trying to tell my story for six years when I registered for Al’s class. Not only did I find a way forward, I was able to complete my first draft! I felt safe to share my story with others, to take a risk and be vulnerable. Everyone was very accepting, kind, and caring. It was a wonderful writing experience.”

Marieke Hahn

“A friend told me about Alan’s online memoir writing course and she spoke so enthusiastically about it that I signed up–not really knowing what to expect. First of all, I must say, Alan makes this substantive course very affordable to everyone. That was a great beginning and says a lot about the kind of person Alan is. I’ve been a writer all my adult working life in a variety of different professions, but I had never considered writing a memoir. Alan is an exceptional teacher/mentor. I think that is true, first of all, because he knows his subject so well, but beyond that he is an intuitive, compassionate person who allows everyone to feel safe, accepted and “heard.” He creates a learning environment that is encouraging and motivating. It has been a transformative experience, not just as a writer, but on a very personal level, and that is because of Alan’s ability to work within the complexities of a very diverse group of people and make each and every one feel unconditionally accepted and encouraged throughout the writing process.”

Carol DeFina

“In 90 days, I grew as a writer—not just learning about structure, but in content. Al’s thorough understanding of story in each act gave new meaning to my writing, allowing me to create a compelling narrative.”

Michael Hauser

“Al Watt’s marvelous courses have helped me in every aspect of writing. When you’re thoroughly confused by plot advice and character how-to’s, drop it all and run fast to lawriterslab.com. From in-person to telecourses, you’ll find something to clear the way to your novel, screenplay, play, memoir . . . whatever is your path, you’ll have a guide.”

Guinotte Wise

“It’s the rare teacher who successfully does what they teach at a high level, while simultaneously inspiring others to do their best work. Al’s encouragement, guidance, and insights into my manuscript were pivotal, compelling a deeper and truer exploration. He invited me to face all those things in myself that I would have preferred to keep secret. He never let me off the hook, but his notes always rang true as he gently challenged my ego to step out of the way. The result is a book I am proud of, and that I couldn’t have imagined existing without his insight and skill.”

Arthur Dielhan

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Are you thinking about writing your life story? Or using personal experiences to talk about universal themes? Sometimes, writing about real experiences can be a vulnerable process, especially when addressing topics such as love, death, sex, the body, or money.

Our online memoir writing course , tutored by Costa Prize-winning novelist and memoirist Monique Roffey, offers a clear 12-week structure for planning, writing, and editing your memoir. By the end of the course, you will understand the ethics of writing from and about your own life and feel confident and comfortable with the notion of vulnerability.

In the introduction to her course, Monique says:

Shame and taboo (sex, death, love, the body, money, etc.) is the first thing you will encounter when you face writing your story. The aim of this course explore these themes in our own lives in a relaxed and supportive environment. As will be mentioned in the first module, James Pennbaker, psychologist of University of Texas, observed a very marked difference in people’s physical health, mental health and sleep habits when spending time to write about traumatic experiences. Own your story and you will feel liberated. Own your story and no one can shame you: it’s all true. Here I am.

Over six modules, the Start Writing a Memoir course covers the basics and offers insight and encouragement gleaned from years of Monique Roffey’s person journey writing her memoir as well as the scores of memories she has read since. These six modules cover why you might want to write your story, shame and vulnerability, point of view and what stops us all from writing our true life stories.

Using extracts and exercises, each module will build on the next, and you’ll discuss what memoirs can look like, tone, forms and knowing when you are ready to write. The course is a beginner’s tool box of ideas. Find out more about the course format, the Zoom schedule and the modules →

About the tutor

‘Monique was a wonderfully inspiring and supportive tutor!’

Hear from a previous student

Fiona Gell, author of Spring Tides , says:

‘I was so lucky to be able to do Monique Roffey’s brilliant memoir course as I was writing my ocean conservation memoir Spring Tides , published in 2022. Monique was a wonderfully inspiring and supportive tutor, the course content was excellent and the exercises built my confidence in writing from a personal perspective. The format of the course really suited me, with feedback from the tutor on six pieces of writing, plenty of very high-quality online content, a horizon-expanding reading list and face to face sessions to meet the tutor and other students online. It was flexible enough to fit around a busy life but with a very structured programme of deadlines for the exercises that really worked for me. Monique’s course made a huge difference to my experience of finishing and publishing my memoir and I would recommend it to anyone writing a memoir or thinking about doing it.’

Book your place now →

If you have any questions, you can get in touch by emailing the team at [email protected] .

Our online creative writing courses are designed in partnership with the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing at UEA. View all of our courses here →

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Memoir Writing Course Online

Memoir Writing Courses Online

Focus, develop, structure and write your Memoir with Irene Graham. Or Train with Irene to be a Memoir Writing Teacher.

*12-week | Online Memoir Writing Course Includes Audios | The Memoir Writing Workbook | LIVE Sessions | Submissions | plus Private Writing Session with Irene G.

*6-month | Memoir Writing Masterclass LIVE with Irene Graham Includes a LIVE Memoir Writing Workshop | The Memoir Writing Workbook | Bi-weekly LIVE Sessions | Submissions | Written Personal Feedback | Workshopping of Manuscripts +++

View Details VISIT our Memoir Website HERE

*6-month | Teaching Memoir Writing Course – Coming Soon! In-depth course on how to teach the art of memoir writing in workshops, online courses, retreats and for the use in Ghostwriting. Based on Irene Graham’s 33 years of teaching writing workshops, using right-brain/left-brain writing techniques. View Details

The Memoir Writing Workshop

Explore our Memoir Writing Course Online 12-week   |   Memoir Writing Masterclass   |   Teaching Memoir Writing Course

Photo Story Book by Irene Graham I Am A Hare! Hanna and The Hop Family

Find the right true story to tell in this foundational class in writing book-length memoirs.

What you can learn.

• Identify significant moments from your life
• Structure your story into a book-length work
• Establish habits and tools for effective writing
• Read successful memoirs to discuss their strengths
• Complete an outline and draft of several chapters

About this course:

Summer 2024 schedule.

Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. Internet access required. 

This course is held via video teleconference. Instructors use Zoom to offer live class meetings at the designated class meeting time. Students must be present at the course meeting time as each student’s final grade may include scores for participation. Please inform your instructor if you will miss a class meeting. You are responsible for any class information you missed. We suggest you arrange with a fellow classmate to share their notes when feasible.

Internet access required to retrieve course materials.

This online course is conducted through Canvas, a secure website that allows students to log in to access lectures, discussions, and other course materials on demand. There are no required live class meetings. Each course is structured with weekly assignments and deadlines. Lectures and coursework are accessible throughout the week. Workshops are conducted in writing via discussion boards with your instructor and classmates.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PUBLIC SYLLABUS FOR THIS COURSE.

Fall 2024 Schedule

No meeting November 26. Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. Internet access required. 

Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. Internet access required.

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Writing a Memoir

← back to courses.

Do you want to write a memoir and don’t know how to get going? Or perhaps you’re already at work on one and want to get some guidance to help you? If this sounds familiar, then this course is for you.

There are so many rich possibilities for compelling narratives based on our true stories – including lives and experiences that might seem very ordinary until they’re held up to the light.

Bestselling memoirist Cathy Rentzenbrink will take you on an in-depth exploration of your memories, guiding you through the techniques you’ll need to sharpen your prose style and convert your lived experience into a readable and lively story.

I really enjoyed this course and learned so much! Before, I didn't know where to start with this huge task. Now I believe this book can be written, using the tools I've been given.

Cathy Rentzenbrink

Cathy Rentzenbrink is the author of The Last Act of Love which was a Sunday Times bestseller and was shortlisted for the Wellcome Prize. She followed it with A Manual for Heartache and Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books . Her first novel Everyone Is Still Alive is out now. Her writing guide Write It All Down: How to put your life on the page was published in 2022. Cathy regularly chairs literary events, interviews authors, reviews books and runs creative writing workshops. In previous lives, Cathy worked for Waterstones for ten years, ran the literacy charity Quick Reads, and was Books Editor at The Bookseller .

WHAT DOES THIS COURSE GIVE YOU?

• Video modules: Work through weekly modules comprising teaching videos and substantial notes from Cathy, offering a practical and friendly approach to writing about your life.
• Writing tasks: Weekly tasks will help you mind-map and create ‘the story of your life’, turning important themes in your story into structured scenes.
• Resources & notes: You’ll get access to multiple Case Studies, additional resources and teaching notes, including extracts from early drafts of Cathy's bestselling book The Last Act of Love to illustrate how to solve some of the writing problems discussed.
• Professional feedback: An expert CBC editor will give brief written feedback on several of the students' practical assignments every week, with all students receiving feedback on one of their writing tasks. Students are also given the option to purchase additional end-of-course feedback from our expert editors.
• Student forum: Find your writing community on our private student forums. Upload your completed writing tasks, give and receive peer-to-peer feedback, and discuss the week’s topics with your fellow students and the CBC team.

COURSE SCHEDULE & DELIVERY

Our online courses are designed for flexible learning. Allocate your own study time and take part from wherever you are in the world. Each week, we recommend spending at least four hours on the course. It’s also important to be planning and working on your memoir throughout the six weeks.

ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK

All students will be given the option to purchase feedback on their final task from a CBC editor .

• CBC report: For an additional fee of £155, you can obtain a detailed 500-word report on your work (of up to 3,000 words) from one of our CBC editors.
• CBC report + tutorial: For an additional fee of £260, you can obtain a 500-word report from one of our CBC editors and have a 30-minute video or telephone tutorial with them to discuss your work.

GIFT THIS COURSE

Encourage your writerly friend or loved one to get creative! We have £220 digital gift vouchers available, enabling you to buy any six-week online course as a present.

Buy Voucher

Mine your memoires and learn how to bring your real-life stories to the page.

More From Forbes

A writing room: the new marketplace of writer classes, retreats, and collectives.

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A Writing Room is one of the fast-growing writer collectives. The four co-founders (left to right): ... [+] Reese Zecchin, Director of Production; Jacob Nordby, Director of Writer Development; A. Ashe, Creative Director; Claire Giovino, Community Director.

The past decade has brought an explosion in the number of books published each year in the United States (an estimated three to four million annually). In turn, this explosion is bringing a growing and evolving marketplace of writer classes, retreats and collectives. It is a marketplace creating new jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities—both for mainstream tech, marketing and managerial workers, as well as for writer/artist denizens of America’s bohemia.

The Drivers of Growth in Book Publishing

The number of book sales in the United States remains healthy, though it has leveled off in the past four years. In 2020, 756.82 million book unit sales were made in the US alone. This number climbed to 837.66 million in 2021, before falling slightly to 787.65 million units in 2022 and 767.36 million units in 2023.

What has changed dramatically has been the number of books published. Steve Piersanti of Berrett-Koehler Publishers estimates that three million books were published in the US, up 10 times from the number only 16 years ago . Other estimates put the number of published books annually at closer to four million .

The main driver of this growth in books published has been self-publishing. According to Bowker , which provides tools for self-publishing, an estimated 2.3 million books were self-published in 2021. Up through the 1990s (now the distant past in publishing), writers of all types of books, fiction and nonfiction, were dependent on convincing publishing houses to publish their work. As the technology for self-publishing and print on demand grew in the early 2000s, writers could publish on their own, and a very large number of Americans began to do so.

Fueling growth also is the level of affluence and discretionary income that an increasing segment of American society is reaching. For centuries, theorists across the political spectrum have envisioned a society, freed from basic economic needs, pursuing creative activities, with writing as a primary activity. In The German Ideology , Karl Marx could write about the economy of abundance in which individuals pursue writing as one of a series of daily activities—hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, write criticism in the evening. John Maynard Keynes in a 1930 essay, “ Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren” , envisions a time a hundred years forward (2030) in which writing is no longer the province of the upper classes. Contemporary theorists on the future of work, such as John Tamny, similarly see a blooming of creative and artistic activities by the average citizen.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, a writing room, and the emerging marketplace of writer training.

A marketplace of writing coaches, classes and retreats expanded throughout the late twentieth century and first years of the twentieth century. Published authors and even recently-minted graduates of MFA programs hung out shingles for individual coaching and small classes. Colleges expanded their writing programs and certifications, and writer retreats multiplied. Co-working and literary event spaces were established in major cities ( The Writers Room in New York, The Writers Grotto in San Francisco). But the marketplace continued to bump up against geographic and logistical limitations.

Then, along the came the internet, and its evolution.

Today, hundreds of businesses throughout the country offer assistance to aspiring writers. Many continue to offer some in-person assistance through coaching, classes or retreats. But as in other fields, the internet has allowed for a nationwide (worldwide) reach that these businesses are taking advantage of to scale. The major pre-internet writer assistance companies, such as The Writers Studio , added online courses and instruction, and the early internet-based companies from the 1990s, such as Writers.com (a pioneer in the internet field), steadily expanded their offerings. New enterprises are springing up on a regular basis, including the writer collectives.

A Writing Room is one of the fastest growing of the writer collectives, and its suite of services illustrate the how the field is evolving.

A Writing Room has its roots in the writing classes that novelist Anne Lamott had been teaching for some years, and her interest by the early 2020s in creating a larger on-going community of writers. Lamott connected with a team of four entrepreneurs who had experience with previous start-ups and expertise in online tools. In early 2023 they set out to develop A Writing Room.

Novelist Anne Lamott, one of the partners in A Writing Room.

A Writing Room launched in June 2023, and followed a few months later with an inaugural writers retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Though hastily arranged, the retreat attracted more than 400 in person attendees and over 1600 attendees online. In the first half of 2024, the company set up a membership structure of monthly and annual memberships. Within months, over 550 writers had joined.

The products that members can access are aimed in part at teaching the craft of writing. In a recent author discussion (with close to 400 participants joining online) Lamott discussed the craft of writing with novelist Donna Levin . Both started publishing in the 1980s. They noted how much publishing and the role of the writer have changed, but emphasized the fundamentals that have remained over their forty years, related to craft and the responsibility of the writer: the daily commitment, the careful development of plot and characters, the numerous rewrites (as many as you think you need, and one more).

A Writing Room offers a series of on-demand courses, online discussions with authors and publishing professionals, and daily writing prompts, built around writing as craft. It further offers instruction on the paths to and options for publication, building a following of readers.

At its center, A Writing Room is about being part of a community of writers, giving and receiving regular feedback from other members, as well as feedback from writing mentors and coaches. In an interview earlier this year, Lamott explained:

The great myth about writing is that it's an entirely solitary activity. This really isn't true. Every book I've ever written has been with a lot of help from my community. I wouldn't be the writer I am today — and wouldn't even want to write — without people to share the process and finished work. Writing is a process, but it doesn't have to (and really shouldn't be) done in total isolation.

The writing process can feel overwhelming. It often does for me. Believe me, a trusted writing friend is a secret to life.

Other emerging writing collectives also emphasize community and cooperation. Levin underscored this point in the recent online discussion: “Writing can be such an isolated activity, and to some extent needs to be. You want to seek out a community that can give you the support you need and also the honest feedback.”

How the New Marketplace Is Evolving And Jobs Created

The founders of A Writing Room know that the marketplace for writer assistance is fast changing, and they need to be quick to adapt to increased competition. Already, several developments are driving change in the field:

· The entrance of major online education companies (i.e. Masters Class , Coursera, Udemy ).

· Faculty recruitment of writers with built-in audiences of sizable twitter and other social media followings.

· Partnerships with the major publishers and agencies, who hold out the promise of publication to participants of the classes, retreats and collectives.

· Specializations by race and ethnicity, gender, geography and genre.

· Market segmentation, and attention to higher income consumers.

A number of these developments reflect the changes in the broader publishing world and are likely to continue. Overall, the marketplace itself will be expanding, as publishing technology advances, along with discretionary income.

The jobs being generated by this new marketplace are a mix of tech, administrative, and writing coach positions. At A Writing Room, recent hires include a community liaison, video editor, customer support, and a “beta reader” providing feedback to writers on their drafts. The hiring process is sweeping up into jobs not only workers who have been in the regular economy, but also residents of America’s bohemia: writers and artists who previously were outside of (and often scornful of) the market system. What can be better than that.

In his 2023 book, The Novel, Who Needs It , Joseph Epstein, former editor of American Scholar , offers a paean to fiction as above all other intellectual endeavors that seek to understand human behavior. But what he says of fiction is true of other writing (memoir, history, even forms of self-help) that arouses the mind.

Yes, there are way too many books published each year, and yes only a very small percentage of writers will earn any significant income from their writing. But who knows what individual book will succeed commercially or critically, or add to our shared knowledge or wisdom. And really, why not encourage the craft of writing. How much does America benefit from most of the paper-pushing, meetings and e-mails that now pass for work in our economy of affluence.

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Poor by Katriona O’Sullivan

By Grace O’Reilly

• 29 June 2024

Katriona O’Sullivan’s memoir, Poor , was the 3 rd book that we read as a group in the Unislim Book-Club.  (Yes, Unislim has a Book-Club too, it’s about all types of health, and reading is great for the head!)

I part listened to it on Audio Books – it is read by the author – and partially read the physical book, which I borrowed from my avid reader friend and fab barista at The Coffee Pod Café in Gorey Town Park.  I had the absolute honour of virtually meeting Katriona as she was the Author Guest for our Unislim Book-Club meeting with Fiona Gratzer.

It is an easy to read book in the sense of its conversational and easy-going style of writing; however, do be warned that emotionally it is quite harrowing.  It is the painful story of how a very young child had to learn to grow up quickly in order to survive.  Abused mentally, physically, emotionally and socially, O’Sullivan shares her deepest and darkest times. Not only how she deviated from the destructive and devastating path that lay ahead of her, but completely turned her life around to be now living her happiest life.

Poor was first published in 2023 by Penguin, and is a must read.

I have great respect for and am awe-stricken at the sheer determination and willpower Katriona possessed to turn her life around.  Life indeed gave her more than just sour lemons, but she sure as hell made and still makes amazing lemonade.

This memoir is a remarkable, touching, courageous and at times comical tale.  The book goes even deeper than that again.

Katriona O’Sullivan is an inspiration and in my opinion a modern-day superhero, helping and lifting others up.  At the end of the day, that is what we should all be doing: helping, encouraging and lifting each other up.  Katriona’s strong lion-heartedness brought her to where she is today.  Katriona should be very proud of herself and of the difference she and her book will make to others.

People have been in touch with Katriona about doing a film of her life.  Whether she agrees to it or not, this book is definitely not the last the world will hear of the amazing Katriona.

(c) Grace O’Reilly

Order your copy online here .

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Guest blogs, courses & events.

ENGL 592.S01 Professional Editing and Publishing

On Campus: Mondays 3-5:50 p.m.

Katherine Malone

This course focuses on the theory and practice of professional editing in the field of English studies. Our readings will consider questions relating to authorship, textuality, and the role of the editor in journal, book, and web publishing. In addition to exploring contemporary debates in scholarly editing, we will consider how editorial decisions (such as introductory essays, appendices, footnotes, illustrations, and textual sources) shape meaning across various editions of a work. You will learn how to build style sheets, ensure error-free copy, and manage editorial projects while gaining hands-on experience with a top-tier academic journal. Assignments include a course blog, two edited articles, a textual history essay, and a final project for which you will use your research and editing skills to create an anthology of nineteenth-century short stories.

REQUIRED TEXTS

• Einsohn, Amy, Marilyn Schwartz, and Erika Buky. The Copyeditor's Handbook and Workbook: The Complete Set . Oakland: University of California Press, 2019. (9780520306677)
• Keleman, Erick. Textual Editing and Criticism: An Introduction . New York: Norton, 2009. (9780393929423)
• Williams, Joseph M., and Joseph Bizup. Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace . 12th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2016. (9780134080413)

ENGL 592.ST1 Screenwriting

Steven wingate.

Students will learn the fundamentals of screenwriting: good format, believable and imaginative stories, solid characterization, and well-turned narrative arcs. The class will read outstanding screenplays as craft examples, adapt a literary work to learn format, then draft, workshop, revise, and expand original scripts or adaptations. At the end of the course, students should have either a complete and polished first act of a feature script they can complete on their own time, or a fully-realized script for a short film or series episode. While we will not focus on “making it” in Hollywood, we will cover the basics of how the film industry works and what that means for writers who want to see their work onscreen.

ENGL 705.S01 Seminar in Teaching Composition

On Campus: Thursdays 1-3:50 p.m.

Nathan Serfling

This course will provide you with a foundation in the pedagogies and theories (and their attendant histories) of writing instruction, a foundation that will prepare you to teach your own writing courses at SDSU and elsewhere. As you will discover through our course, though, writing instruction does not come with any prescribed set of “best” practices. Rather, writing pedagogies stem from and continue to evolve because of various and largely unsettled conversations about what constitutes effective writing and effective writing instruction. Part of becoming a practicing writing instructor, then, is studying these conversations to develop a sense of what “good writing” and “effective writing instruction” might mean for you in our particular program and how you might adapt that understanding to different programs and contexts.

As we read about, discuss, and research writing instruction, we will address a variety of practical and theoretical topics. The practical focus will allow us to attend to topics relevant to your immediate classroom practices: designing a curriculum and various types of assignments, delivering the course content, and assessing student work, among others. Our theoretical topics will begin to reveal the underpinnings of these various practical matters, including their historical, rhetorical, social, and political contexts. In other words, we will investigate the praxis—the dialogic interaction of practice and theory—of writing pedagogy. As a result, this course aims to prepare you not only as a writing teacher but also as a nascent writing studies/writing pedagogy scholar.

At the end of this course, you should be able to engage effectively in the classroom practices described above and participate in academic conversations about writing pedagogy, both orally and in writing. Assessment of these outcomes will be based primarily on the various writing assignments you submit and to a smaller degree on your participation in class discussions and activities.

ENGL 726.S01 Seminar in English Literature since 1660: Living “In the Wake” of Colonization and Slavery

On Campus: Tuesdays 3-5:50 p.m.

This course examines representations of race in literature of the long eighteenth century, considering how these representations were used to both rationalize and critique colonization and transatlantic slavery. Though we’ll consider texts written from the perspective of the colonizing culture, a significant portion of the course will focus on voices from multiple historical, geographical, and generic contexts that push back against and fill gaps within colonial narratives. Engaging a “presentist” approach to the study of eighteenth-century texts, we’ll discuss how twenty-first-century Americans are currently living “in the wake”—to use Christina Sharpe’s phrase—of colonization and slavery, as can be seen in the movements for and reactions against ending systemic racial violence, teaching Black and Indigenous histories, reforming the prison system, and returning stolen Indigenous lands. Literary texts will include Aphra Behn’s "Oroonoko," Daniel Defoe’s "Robinson Crusoe, The Woman of Colour," Olaudah Equiano’s "Interesting Narrative," Mary Prince’s "Autobiography," and a variety of shorter texts that engage with subject matter related to colonization, indigeneity, enslavement, abolition, and rebellion. We will also consider the work of more recent authors and scholars, including Robert Hayden, Toni Morrison, Saidiya Hartman, Christina Sharpe and Layli Long Soldier.

ENGL 792.ST1 Reading Contemporary Poetry and Creative Nonfiction

Amber jensen, m.a., m.f.a..

In this course, we will explore how contemporary poetry and creative nonfiction build upon traditional models but also continue to innovate and blur genre distinctions. We will draw from theoretical texts "How to Read (and Write About) Poetry, Second Edition " by Susan Holbrook and "The Next American Essay (A New History of the Essay) " by John D’Agata and read individual poems and essays, as well as complete collections and memoirs, including (selections subject to change): Kaleb Ray Cadrilli’s "Water I Won’t Touch," Tyree Daye’s Cardinal, Christine Stewart’s "The Poet & The Architect," Joy Harjo’s "Crazy Brave," and Mary Alice Haug’s "Out of Loneliness." Our rhetorical reading of these texts will focus on the relationship between text and context, examining how these works reflect and impact the world they are produced and consumed in, what we bring to our reading of these texts and what these texts offer to us.

• Moscow Oblast
•  » 
• Elektrostal

State Housing Inspectorate of the Moscow Region

Phone 8 (496) 575-02-20 8 (496) 575-02-20

Phone 8 (496) 511-20-80 8 (496) 511-20-80

Public administration near State Housing Inspectorate of the Moscow Region

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Moscow, Russia

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