In this generative seminar, writers will learn strategies for writing nonfiction stories on family: research and reporting, ideation, pacing, narration, organization, voice and tone, and creating an ensemble of "characters" who are specific to our origin stories but recognizable to any reader. We’ll break down family memoirs into the who, where, and when, making the unwieldy task of writing about those we know more manageable.
This two-hour course, perfect for writers with all levels of experience, will include three in-class prompts that build on each other, a PDF handout with text and illustrations, and a short listening exercise and reading from the instructor and author of Monsoon Mansion, a family memoir on love, loss, and survival, described by Susan Tekulve as "a woven family tale that is both delicate and electric."