A 3-Week Online Memoir Workshop
Mondays: October 27 – November 10, 6-9 PM
There is an evolving relevance of history, especially our own. Whether our lives change by choice, tragedy, or the inevitability of time, our life experiences and the memories that narrate them shift shape and can grow or diminish in meaning. The same goes for the memories we inherit from our families and community; life looks different with distance. In this 3-week writing course, award-winning memoirist Rachael Cerrotti will lead us through prompts and conversations that encourage us to think about the chapter changes in our lives.
In this workshop, there will be a focus on both generative writing as well as editing. We will dive into the complicated questions and ethics of taking our personal history and writing it for the next generation and the public eye. Through group conversation, we will discuss what to do with competing or contradictory memories/facts, the question of whose perspective to write from, how to confront big topics like grief, immigration and love and how to choose what isn’t included in our preserved stories (sometimes the hardest part).
This workshop is open to writers of all levels. Beginners are encouraged to join!
$180 Members/$300 Nonmembers
Rachael Cerrotti is the author of We Share The Same Sky: A Memoir of Memory and Migration. The book received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, was the winner of the 2022 Maine Literary Award in memoir and shortlisted for the 2022 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. The book follows her narrative podcast, also titled We Share The Same Sky, which was the listed as one of the best podcasts of 2019 by HuffPost, a runner up in the prose category for the Miller Audio Prize, chosen as a Reader’s Pick by Vulture Magazine and as a “Show We Love” by Apple Podcasts. We Share The Same Sky (the podcast and book) are now being taught in classrooms around the world and is being adapted for a traveling museum exhibit. Rachael’s work combines photos, video, audio, primary source documents and of course the written word to tell true stories that often explore the humanity of grief and how stories are passed from one generation to the next. She is currently the Inaugural Storyteller in Residence for USC Shoah Foundation and produces/hosts The Memory Generation podcast. She lives in Portland.
ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED
All MWPA workshops require advanced registration. We accept registration by phone, mail, and online via our website. We cannot guarantee registration in the final 24-hours before a workshop, and can rarely accommodate day-of registration.
PAYMENT & CANCELLATION POLICIES
If you need to withdraw from a class after registering for any reason, please email or call the MWPA immediately. You may be eligible for a partial refund or credit, depending on how far in advance you cancel. → MORE INFORMATION
QUESTIONS
For any questions regarding this workshop, please contact programs@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-200-7180 and register with your VISA or MasterCard.
REGISTER BY MAIL
If you prefer to pay by mail, please print this registration form (downloadable PDF) and mail it to the MWPA with a check or credit card information.
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one partial scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Application Due two weeks prior to the workshop start date, at 9:00 a.m.
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MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION