Courses

Some stories won’t rest until we tell them. They live under the surface, unresolved and emotionally charged, which is why we’re compelled to write them. In this two-day workshop, we’ll create space to meet those stories with honesty. We’ll explore how to write from pain without collapsing into it and stay true to the story without abandoning ourselves. We’ll also navigate questions of who gets to tell which stories and explore the ethical and relational stakes of memoir. Through targeted prompts, close readings, and discussion, we’ll examine how to build narrative momentum, work with sensory detail and voice, and structure material. Readings will include Kiese Laymon, Carmen Maria Machado, and Ocean Vuong, authors who model fierce honesty. Whether you’re starting a personal essay or memoir, stuck mid-draft, or revising, you’ll leave with new scenes or story-starts, a working outline, and tools to care for your nervous system while tackling difficult material. Most importantly, you’ll discover the freedom and power that come from writing your truth.