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Event
Memoir Might Save Your Life: Writing Workshop led by Estelle Ford-Williamson
A Two-Session Writing Workshop led by Estelle Ford-Williamson.
Saturdays, April 25 & May 9, 1:00-4:00 p.m., on Zoom
Limited to 15 participants, $80/person (inclusive of both sessions)
"A writer writes because he must."--Henry Miller (paraphrase)
"A story untold may be the one that kills you."--Pat Conroy, Beach Music
Growing up in a household where dysfunction and physical violence were common, Pat Conroy (1945-2016) later turned his passions for writing into a dozen volumes of autobiographical fiction and memoir, laden with details of his own life. Indeed the arc of Pat's writing life was an act of life saving and meaning making, a voyage inward to discover himself. In that same spirit, this workshop will outline ways of approaching memoir as a method of solving the mysteries of our lives. Discussion will center on the craft as well as the ways that writing can heal wounds and help resolve life events that otherwise can lead to mental illness and self sabotage. For those who don't wish to go that deep, just writing about our lives and experiences can lead to some of the same healing effects. Join us for a two-part writing workshop that strengthens the soul and helps you create and understand your own story.
Workshop exercises will explore areas with the most impact for memoir writing. Natalie Goldberg-type prompts and other techniques using compressed time will help participants to craft writing that can become the beginnings of a larger memoir. Through in-class readings, workshop participants will receive instructive, supportive feedback and guidance for taking the next steps.
Topics include: differences between biography and memoir, why memoir is so popular now, amounts of time to cover in memoir, examples of memoir (Pat Conroy, Rosemary Daniell, Roxanne Gay, and Mary Karr), some memoirist poets: (Tim Conroy, Cecelia Woloch, others), examples of how memoir can save lives (Daniell, Conroy, Lou Walker Senior Center Writers), exercises to get to the heart of your story, writing techniques to keep priming the pump of ideas, and an overview of publishing options for memoir.
This workshop will be held as an online video conference call through Zoom. Details for joining the video call will be provided to all participating writers after registering. Course materials will be provided as email attachments before the first session.
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About Our Instructor:
Estelle Ford-Williamson began her life of writing books by editing and publishing her aunts' memoirs of growing up in north Georgia; one was the wife of one of the last horse cavalrymen at Fort Oglethorpe. She subsequently wrote a historical novel, Abbeville Farewell: A Novel of Early Atlanta and North Georgia, and co-wrote Seed of South Sudan: Memoir of a Lost Boy Refugee with Majok Marier. She led workshops in memoir at Lou Walker Senior Center in Decatur, GA, and helped publish two anthologies of students work. She is shopping a new novel, Rising Fawn, and has won recognition with short stories in Short Story America, Vol.6 and the Petigru Review.
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LocationPat Conroy Literary Center (View)
905 Port Republic St
BEAUFORT, SC 29902
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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