Memoir Writing
Joan Didion called them shimmers. Emerson called them gleams. In this writing workshop, we’ll write from prompts to “excavate” our lives for those writing gems. These glimmers can be seemingly incidental moments that occurred on a staircase or they can be actual objects. What we start in this workshop will likely be the seeds to bigger projects. The idea here is to leave with a stockpile of material to kick start your creative work. We will also examine the dramatic weight of personal objects. This isn’t Antique Road Show, but students are encouraged to bring a meaningful object with them, though it’s not required. We’ll do some drafting around these objects or remembered, absent objects during our time to explore how our personal stuff can lend immediacy and depth. With Margaret McMullan