Memoir Master Class

The focus of the workshop is to encourage and guide experienced writers in creating, revising, and potentially publishing short, stand-alone works of memoir. We will also read and discuss a variety of published memoir pieces and explore strategies for effectively submitting work to contests/publications.

“The artful memoir isn’t easy to knock off,” says instructor Kathleen McClung. “We need skill and nuance in narrating and musing on past events to make a cohesive whole. Memoirs that matter, that truly move readers, call for soul-searching and for mastery of essential literary elements—an engaging voice, vivid scenes and characters, a careful blend of action and reflection, a unifying thread/theme.”

This twice-a-month class is designed to engage and support writers in the challenge of telling their truest stories with language that shimmers on the page and with a steady writing and revising momentum. Kathleen will provide readings, writing exercises, and constructive group critiques. She will advise on the memoirist’s rights and responsibilities, as well as the paradox of preserving solitude and nourishing community.

By the end of this master class, in addition to completing 3-5 new pieces, memoirists will have a wider repertoire of techniques, new colleagues and connections, more richly layered writing, and more resilience for future projects.

* This workshop is for writers who have completed memoir or personal essay classes at The Writing Salon or elsewhere.