MEM 120 W — The Powerful Launch: Memoir Workshop
Quarter: Spring
Instructor(s): Julia Scheeres
Date(s): Apr 3—Jun 5
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Fridays
Class Meeting Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Apr 5
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Open
Quarter: Spring
Day: Fridays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 12:00—1:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Apr 3—Jun 5
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Apr 5
Instructor(s): Julia Scheeres
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
In a memoir’s opening pages, the author must set up the central drama, introduce tension, and present dynamic characters that keep readers turning pages, eager to learn their fate.
This course will show you techniques to do this, which include setting up a clear theme, building momentum, and using artful language. (A little mystery never hurts.) Each week, we'll deconstruct the first chapter of a memoir from such authors as Sonali Deraniyagala, Tobias Wolff, Carmen Maria Machado, Jesmyn Ward, and Kiese Laymon, looking for how each narrative engine turns on. In addition to weekly writing exercises, everyone will craft and submit a memoir opening (up to 3,000 words) for supportive feedback from both peers and instructor. Whether you’ve yet to start your book or have finished a draft but are unsure of your “hook,” this course will leave you with the tools and confidence to create a more powerful memoir launch.
JULIA SCHEERES
Author
Julia Scheeres has written three books. Her memoir, Jesus Land, was a New York Times and London Times bestseller. Her narrative history of the Jonestown tragedy, A Thousand Lives, was included in The Guardian's "Top 10 books about the 1970s." Her most recent book, Listen, World!, is a biography of Hearst columnist Elsie Robinson. She is a regular contributor to The New York Times Book Review. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.