This workshop is full. To be added to the waitlist, email Meghan at programs@mainewriters.org.
A 10 Week Memoir Workshop
Tuesdays, January 17th—March 21st
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
The profoundly human compulsion to tell our stories makes us who we are; the act of crafting them into engaging personal narrative elevates them beyond the abstract. But the writing of memoir also often begins with the daunting questions of permission, story ownership, and truth-telling, which together can keep the new memoirist from moving into a place where voice and story are free to emerge. In this workshop, which will be both generative and workshop-focused, we will explore the creation of engaging personal narrative, and tackle bigger craft questions that will enable the new memoirist to move beyond constraints of fear and ownership to a place of creative clarity.
Please come with the memoir you are working on, a willingness to unravel process and permission, and an acknowledgement that the impulse to tell one’s story must be honored. This is a rigorous workshop meant for intermediate and advanced writers who are familiar with the workshopping process. Please submit 10 pages of your memoir project, double spaced, 12 pt font, to program@mainewriters.org ten days before the start of the workshop.
+DATES The workshop will meet every Tuesday between January 17 and March 21 unless unforeseen scheduling issues should arise.
+ SUBMIT After registering, participants are asked to submit a portion of in-process memoir, personal essay, or creative non-fiction of up to 2500-words by no later than 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 3rd. Please take this deadline seriously as MWPA likely cannot accept late submissions. Please note that these manuscripts will be distributed in advance via email to the other workshop participants. Please email the manuscript to programs@mainewriters.org with the subject line: “ALTMAN WORKSHOP MSS.” Please use standard formatting (1” margins, double-spaced, 12 pt font) and keep spacing to a minimum (e.g. no title pages). *Word docs ONLY, please.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur online via Zoom. Students do not need to create an account to participate, but should test out Zoom before their class if they are first-time users. On Thursday, Janaury 12th from 5:30pm to 6:00pm, MWPA staff will offer a tech help session on Zoom. Students are encouraged to attend the tech help session, which usually takes only 5-10 minutes, if they have any tech concerns, use Zoom infrequently, or simply would like to test their connection, and those who do not are responsible for ensuring that they are able to use Zoom on their own. The week of the workshop, students will be emailed a link that they may click to enter the test session and the class.
+ REQUIRED EQUIPMENT A reliable, fast internet connection (broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE), speakers & a microphone (built-in or USB plug-in), and a webcam (built-in or USB plug-in).
If you would like to quickly and easily test your internet connection and your computer’s compatibility with Zoom, click HERE. Full details on supported Operating Systems, internet browsers, and more can be found HERE. To download and familiarize yourself with Zoom, click HERE.
Elissa Altman is the critically-acclaimed, James Beard Award-winning author of three memoirs: Motherland: A Memoir of Life, Loathing, and Longing; Treyf: My Life as an Unorthodox Outlaw; and Poor Man’s Feast: A Love Story of Comfort, Desire, and the Art of Simple Cooking. Her next book, On Permission, is coming from Godine in 2024. The 2023 Barnswallow Books Writer-in-Residence, and recipient of a 2023 Corsicana Artists and Writers Residency, Altman's work has appeared everywhere from Orion to The Guardian, Tin House to O: The Oprah Magazine, Lion’s Roar, Krista Tippett’s On Being, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, where her column, Feeding My Mother, ran for a year. A finalist for the 2020 Lambda Literary Award in Memoir and the 2020 Maine Literary Award in Memoir, she teaches the craft of memoir widely, from Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown to The Loft Literary Center, and beyond. She divides her time between midcoast Maine and Connecticut.
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.
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one partial scholarship to this workshop for members-only. This scholarship spot has been filled.
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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