An IN-PERSON Memoir Workshop
ALL LEVELS
"What could be simpler to understand than the act of people writing about what they know best, their own lives? But this apparently simple act is anything but simple, for the writer becomes, in the act of writing, both the observing subject and the object of investigation, remembrance, and contemplation." Sidonie Smith and Julia Watson, Reading Autobiography.
Memoir writing often involves a form of double consciousness, wherein the writer seeks to understand the person they were at a past time, from the perspective of who they are now. This dual consciousness is referred to as the Double I/Eye (the "I" who is at the center of the past story, and the "eye" of the writer looking back on themselves). Memoirist Sue William Silverman calls this the "voice of innocence" and the "voice of experience," while I think of this as the "external journey" (what happened) and the "internal journey" (what meaning the writer discovers about what happened).
Whatever the term, employing the "double I/Eye" in memoir makes for rich layered personal stories that transcend the self and offer insight into what it means to be human. In this course, we will read and discuss short examples from memoirs that demonstrate the Double I/Eye; respond to prompts designed to explore this dual consciousness; and share and discuss these writing exercises. Students are encouraged to bring a laptop for in-class writing, and should bring a photo (digital or hard copy) related to their memoir topic.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur in person at USM Portland Campus. The week of the workshop, participants will receive an email with class location.
Maureen Stanton’s memoir Body Leaping Backward: Memoir of a Delinquent Girlhood, received the 2020 Maine Literary Award in memoir, and was a People Magazine “Best New Books” pick. Her literary journalism book, Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: An Insider’s Look at the World of Flea Markets, Antiques, and Collecting won the Massachusetts Book Award in nonfiction, and was a Parade Magazine "12 Great Summer Reads" selection. Her short essays and memoirs have been widely published in literary journals and anthologies, and recognized with two Pushcart Prizes, an Iowa Review Prize, the American Literary Review Prize, the Sewanee Review prize, and the nonfiction prize from Passages North, among others. She has twice received a Maine Arts Commission Literary Fellowship, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She lives in Georgetown, Maine, and teaches creative nonfiction and literary journalism at UMass Lowell. maureenstantonwriter.com
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 Meghan Sterling at programs@mainewriters.org.
REGISTER BY PHONE
Call 207-228-8263 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.
$100 Members / $150 Nonmembers
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one full scholarship to this workshop for members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Contact Meghan at programs@mainewriters.org to see if the scholarship is still available. Application Due on April 23rd at 9:00 a.m.
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MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
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