A 5-Week Creative Nonfiction Workshop
Wednesdays, October 7 - November 4, 6-8:30 PM
Through a combination of reading, writing, discussion, and presentation, this course will explore various approaches and things to consider when telling other people’s stories, whether you’re writing about a family member, a celebrity, an unsung hero, a famous or infamous character from the past, or anyone with a great story you feel compelled to share. Class material may include:
· Interview techniques
· Narratorial voice
· Research methods
· Finding the heart of your story
· Incorporating quotations/dialogue
· Hybrid genres (biography/memoir; fictionalized histories; autofiction)
· How to manage memory vs. verifiable fact
· Ethical issues in telling other people’s stories
· Examples of good published profiles
The course will include in-class, generative writing prompts (sharing optional). Some reading and critiquing tasks will be assigned each week (1-2 hours), and daily writing is encouraged.
Students who would like to have their writing workshopped will need to submit a piece of writing, double-spaced, 1000 words maximum, before the first class.
$275 Members/$345 Nonmembers
Robin Clifford Wood is an author, poet, teacher, and essayist. She has a BA from Yale, an MA in English from University of Rochester and an MFA in creative writing from University of Southern Maine's Stonecoast program. She taught college writing for five years at Husson University and has spent a total of ten years writing columns; many have been profiles of local people. Her current column, in Bangor Metro Magazine, is called Maine Reads, Maine Writes.
Wood's first book, The Field House: A Writer's Life Lost and Found on an Island in Maine, is an award-winning biography/memoir hybrid. The Field House was a nine-year labor of love that tells the story of author Rachel Field and her profound influence on Wood’s life and work.
Wood's writing has also been featured in Décor Maine, Club Plum, Port City Life, Maine Public Radio's "Music That Moves Me" series, The Maine Review, Solstice Literary Magazine, and more. Her poetry and essays have received national recognition. Wood lives in central Maine with her husband and a rambunctious dog named Daisy.
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