Reading as a Memoirist

Service Description

"Read, because that’s the way you learn how the language works. That’s the way you learn about emotion on paper. That’s how you find out how stories are fastened, by reading and reading and reading." - Katherine Paterson Many of us write about and from our lives in order to make sense of them. We have questions about why certain things happened to us, why we responded the way we did, or how the context of family, place, and history impacted us. Writing memoir and other autobiographical forms is a deeply challenging and satisfying way to meet our lives, but it also comes with issues that are specific to this genre. Since our material comes from our memories, it can be difficult to decipher what readers do and don't know; are we giving them ample information to follow the story? Often, we've gleaned details from other people; how do we differentiate their memories from ours? If we're moving between different periods of our life, keeping a timeframe straight can be difficult. One of the best ways to approach these issues is to learn from published authors. In this class with writing coach, essayist, and biographer Jennifer New, we'll read excerpts and short pieces from writers like Mary Karr, Deborah Levy, Hua Hsu, and Kiese Laymon. The four classes will be focused, respectively, on voice, sensory detail, timeframe, and interiority. Each class will include short writing exercises and writing assignments will be provided to pursue between classes and/or later. If you have a current project, please bring it with you as there will be opportunities to experiment with rewriting sections. If you don't have a project, the assignments will allow you to craft new material. For writers who would like to have a one-time meeting with Jennifer to assess their current project, there is an additional fee of $50 that can be set up directly with her. Jennifer New is a writer, business owner, and longtime University of Iowa administrator. For more than a decade, Jennifer served as the associate director of the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, an interdisciplinary research center. She oversaw communications, public-facing programming, and community engagement training for graduate students. Jennifer has published three books and hundreds of articles.