A 10-Week Memoir Master Class
Tuesdays, February 23 to April 27, 2021
Level: Advanced
Once you have finished the first (and possibly the second) draft of your memoir, how do you move forward to achieve narrative clarity?
In this 10-week master class, we will focus on the craft of polishing and editing the narrative, listening to the rhythm and meter of the sentences, learning how to justify each sentence and paragraph, and understanding the concept of economy of language and the necessity of making every word count. Participants will leave this class with the tools to finalize their manuscripts for submission.
At the end of this master class, participants will be able to choose whether they would like to submit 1000-words of revised material to instructor Elissa Altman for comments, or to schedule a one-on-one Zoom meeting with her to discuss how they implemented revisions.
This master class is capped at 8 participants, who will be selected by the instructor based on their applications. The deadline to submit an application to attend this workshop is Monday, January 25 at 11:59 PM. The workshop fee for admitted participants will be $675 for MWPA members (see payment options below) and $825 for nonmembers (due February 12).
+ APPLY To apply for this workshop, please email 750 words of your work-in-progress and a brief note of 1-page or less providing context (addressing how long you’ve been working on your manuscript, whether it has been workshopped previously, and your goals for it) in one Word doc (ideally) or PDF to hannah@mainewriters.org with the subject line “ALTMAN APP” by 11:59 PM on Monday, January 25. Please be sure to include your name in the document. Late applications unfortunately cannot be accepted. All applicants will be notified about whether or not they’ve been accepted by Tuesday, February 9.
+ SUBMIT Applicants will be notified about whether or not they’ve been admitted to this workshop by February 9. Admitted participants will be asked to submit a 5000-word personal essay or memoir excerpt by no later than 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 16, and further instructions on submitting will be sent to them in their notification of acceptance.
+ PLEASE NOTE This workshop will occur online, using the video meeting platform 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, February 18, from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, MWPA’s Hannah Perry will offer a test session on Zoom. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in the test session, which usually takes only 5-10 minutes, and those who do not are responsible for ensuring that they are able to use Zoom on their own. The week before the workshop begins, students will be emailed links to join 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.
PAYMENTS MWPA members may pay for this workshop in one payment, or may pay in three installments of $225, due February 12 and the 15th of each month (March, April). *PLEASE NOTE If you have selected to pay for this multi-week workshop on the installment option, once registration for the workshop has closed, you are responsible for paying all of the remaining installments. If you should, for any reason, leave the workshop after registration has closed, you are still responsible for paying all of the remaining installments.
CEU The MWPA is proud to offer Continuing Education Units (CEU) for this workshop. The CEU is a nationally recognized method of quantifying the time spent in the classroom during non-credit learning. Ten hours of instruction equal one (1) CEU. (*Please note that by definition, CEUs are non-credit continuing education and therefore not transferrable as academic credit.)
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 work has appeared everywhere from The Guardian and 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.
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 Hannah Perry at hannah@mainewriters.org.
SCHOLARSHIP
The MWPA is proud to offer one full scholarship to this workshop for admitted members-only. Scholarships are awarded on a combination of need and merit. Interested admitted MWPA members should send a brief statement of financial need of up to 500-words to hannah@mainewriters.org; we will also consider your previously submitted application to the workshop. Application Due on February 12 at 9:00 a.m.
MWPA WORKSHOP POLICIES
Registration in any MWPA workshop, program, or event constitutes your agreement to our terms and conditions. → MORE INFORMATION