2023 WRITER IN RESIDENCE WORKSHOP: Telling Our Deep Stories
Saturday | November 18, 2023 | 10am-2pm MT
ONLINE VIA ZOOM
AWCS Members: $75 (with member coupon AWCSM25)
Non-Members: $100
Gwendolyn MacEwen’s poem “Dark Pines Under Water” ends with the powerful line “There is something down there and you want it told.” What better way to dive into the concept of life writing than to delve into the tenebrous and layered heart of memory?
Whether we’re writing from family memories, the story of a beloved home, a previous job, or an amazing trip that took us to places we never thought possible, learning to delve into our deep stories as writers can bring us to material rich in sensory detail and emotion. Drawing from writing teachers such as Anne Lamott and Natalie Goldberg, this workshop will support and encourage participants to respectfully and safely explore memories in order to be able to write about them in the form of memoir, travel writing, or personal essays. Participants will gain a variety of exercises and writing tools to be able to engage with memories and personal narratives
and bring them to life for a strong literary purpose. This workshop steps beyond journaling and moves into the realm of learning to write about our personal stories for the purpose of engaging with a reading audience.
Note: This is not a trauma-writing workshop, but as emotionally difficult events may absolutely arise during the writing of memoir or personal essays, trauma-informed resources and links to services will be available for participants.
