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Summer 2018: Forms of Memoir

June 2 – 23, 2018 Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. All classes meet at Literary Arts, 925 SW Washington Instructor: Jennifer Denrow For writers at all levels Limited to

$275.00

Out of stock

June 2 – 23, 2018
Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
All classes meet at Literary Arts, 925 SW Washington
Instructor: Jennifer Denrow
For writers at all levels
Limited to 10 students

In this class, we’ll blend the genres of memoir, poetry, and essay in an attempt to encourage ourselves to investigate our stories and how these stories are told, and to discover if new forms offer the writer of memoir a different way to express the mind’s experience of memory. The class will be comprised of writing exercises, readings, and workshop. Whether you have parts of a memoir you’ve been working on for a while, or are just beginning the process of recording your story, this will be a great place to receive feedback and generate material. 

Exploring the ways in which we tell our stories makes us less indebted to old narratives and opens the door to exciting formal possibilities, which allows us to begin a new relationship with familiar material. In Reality Hunger, a book investigating genre, truth, and storytelling, David Shields quotes Patricia Hampl when she says that “memoir isn’t fundamentally a chronicle of experience; rather, memoir is the story of consciousness contending with experience.” This idea prompts Shields to suggest that lyrical forms are an ideal medium for the telling of one’s story.

Jennifer Denrow is the author of California (Four Ways Books) Her chapbooks include How We Know it is That and From California, On. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Denver and is the recipient of a fellowship in Creative Writing from the National Endowment for the Arts.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE: Scholarships pay for the entire class tuition. To apply, email Susan Moore, Director of Programs for Writers, at susan@literary-arts.org with your name, contact information, and list three classes in order of preference. Please note that preference is not guaranteed. All scholarships are subject to availability.

CLASS LIAISONS: All classes have one liaison position. Liaisons receive free tuition in exchange for light duties before and after each class meeting. Contact Susan Moore at susan@literary-arts.org for more information.