Understanding and Writing Memoir Workshop

Date: Jan. 22, 2011

Time: 10 a.m.

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Taught by Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker Loren Stephens, this one-day workshop explores the memoir genre and gives you the tools and techniques to begin writing by examining excerpts from well known memoirs including Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Frank McCourt’s ‘Tis, and Jeannette Walls,The Glass Castle, among others. 

The workshop will also include an examination of the memoir format and the key elements that make up a compelling memoir: depth of feeling, dialogue, drama, and detail. We will also discuss the concepts of theme, turning points, narrative voice, and honesty as they apply to memoir. 

In addition to reading memoir excerpts and instructor lecture, participants will be encouraged to write short, five- and ten-minute pieces based upon prompts. There will be a 30 page handout that will include the contents of the lecture, as well as an annotated bibliography of memoirs, texts on the craft of writing, and the memoir genre. 

$60 members; $75 non-members, includes materials and Museum admission. A lunch break will be provided. RSVP early, 20 participants max.
When making a reservation, e-mail rsvp@janm.org or call 213.625.0414 at least 48 hours prior to the event. Include the name, date, and time of the program, as well as your name and the total in your party.

www.janm.org

Instructor: Loren Stephens, president, Write Wisdom and Provenance Press, assists her clients in writing and publishing their memoirs and life stories. She was formerly an editor of textbooks at Houghton Mifflin Publishing, and writer/producer of award-winning documentaries including “Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist,” “Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman?” and the bi-lingual documentary, “Los Pastores.” Her essays and short stories have appeared in literary journals and newspapers throughout the country including The Sun, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, MacCuffin, the Jewish Women’s Literary Annual. Loren is corrently writing a novel based on the lives of her two Japanese mothers in law. 

Visit her on her website www.writewisdom.com/.

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