MEM 122 — Crafting Your Story: A Workshop for Memoirs in Progress
Quarter: Spring
Instructor(s): Samina Ali
Date(s): Mar 30—Jun 1
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Mondays
Class Meeting Time: 5:30—8:00 pm (PT)
Please Note: Class will meet on Mondays, March 30 - June 1, 5:30 - 8:00 pm (PT). Note: No class Monday, May 25. That week class will meet on Tuesday, May 26 instead.
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Apr 1
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Registration opens Feb 23, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Spring
Day: Mondays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 5:30—8:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Mar 30—Jun 1
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Apr 1
Instructor(s): Samina Ali
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens Feb 23, 8:30 am (PT)
Please Note: Class will meet on Mondays, March 30 - June 1, 5:30 - 8:00 pm (PT). Note: No class Monday, May 25. That week class will meet on Tuesday, May 26 instead.
This course is for memoirists with a manuscript draft underway who want to work on craft, either adding new material or refining what is already on the page. For inspiration, we will study selections from contemporary memoirs by Arundhati Roy, Margaret Atwood, Tara Westover, and others, looking closely at how each author orders time, evokes memory, brings scenes to life, and handles dialogue. Each student will workshop up to 5,000 words (new or revised), receiving supportive yet rigorous feedback from peers and the instructor. We will focus on strengthening voice and clarifying narrative structure, while grappling with the ethical and aesthetic challenges of writing from lived experience. By the end of the course, you will be equipped with a better sense of how to shape your story and editorial strategies to finish transforming your draft into a compelling and complete manuscript.
SAMINA ALI
Author
Samina Ali’s novel, Madras on Rainy Days, received France’s prestigious Prix Premier Roman Etranger award and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award in Fiction. Her TEDx talk, “What the Quran Really Says About the Hijab,” has over 8 million views. Her writing has been featured in various outlets, from NPR to The Economist. Her most recent book, Pieces You’ll Never Get Back, was one of the most anticipated memoirs of 2025. Textbooks for this course:
(Optional) Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (ISBN 978-0385480017)