Class

A Memoir That Goes Beyond You

In memoir, an author tells their story, building characters and scenes through dialogue, description, voice, POV (point-of-view), and narrative arc. By successfully enabling these techniques, an author goes beyond their personal story, connecting with readers. This four-week class will involve deep readings of selections from various contemporary and modern memoirs (Carmen Maria Machado's In the Dream House; Rachel Cusk's A Life's Work; Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts, etc), looking at the ways in which authors use literary techniques to make their stories vivid and relatable. Each session will begin with a short exercise, then proceed to a discussion of a theme, using the supporting texts; finally, we will workshop students’ work.

We will discuss memoir as a genre and unpack some of the techniques and conceits that make it such a compelling literary form. We will also discuss sensitive topics such as memoirs that deal with trauma or family members, and in relation, protecting identity (and protecting the author). Writers will take turns submitting work; we will workshop 2-3 pieces of 1200-1400 words (read prior) each week. No experience is required, but writers should come prepared with some concept of a memoir they would like to work on, whether article-length or book-length. This class is also suitable for writers of autobiographical fiction, in particular auto-fiction. This class is limited to 12 participants.

All Classes listed on the Loft website take place in Central Standard Time (CST); make sure you understand your time zone, and adjust accordingly

Instructions for Accessing This Online Class

In order to access live class meetings, you must have the Zoom application downloaded to your computer. You will also need a WiFi/Internet connection throughout the duration of your scheduled meeting and a computer with audio and video capability. The information to join your Zoom classroom will be provided in your confirmation email upon registration. Please check spam folders if you do not see this email upon registration. For more information on how to use Zoom, please see our training manual here.

Some classes use a supplemental Google Classroom page. Should your teaching artist use Google Classroom, you will be invited to join the classroom via email at least 24 hours in advance of your class (check spam folders if you are not seeing this invitation). Please note that Google Classroom requires a Gmail address to access the Classroom. If you do not have a Gmail account, the email invitation will be sent to the email address we have on file and will prompt you to create a free account or enter an existing account to join the classroom. If we are unable to send an email invitation to your non-gmail account, you will be contacted by a staff member to provide a Gmail address. If you do not have a Gmail account, you can create a free account here. Should you have concerns about this, please contact a Loft staff member at [email protected] or 612-379-8999. For more information on how to use Google Classroom, please see our training manual here.