We are always beginning again. We start with a line, and then the deeper we delve, the more a story’s beginning will shift and evolve beyond our first impulse. Whether you're just starting a memoir or reimagining your opening after years of working on it, this class will help you move beyond the conventional "hook" and open instead with the heart of your story. Rather than reaching for easy intrigue, we'll explore how the most powerful memoir openings work the way great film does — introducing readers immediately to a story's tone, texture, themes, and the central question the work may never fully untangle. When you open with the heart of your memoir, the hook takes care of itself. In this process-based workshop, we'll examine the beginnings and endings of works by authors such as Lidia Yuknavitch, Clarice Lispector, Terese Mailhot, and T Kira Madden — exploring how each opens with the crux of its deepest concerns. You can expect to leave with the starts of new stories and ideas for more, as well as an enlivened process for (re)finding your beginning — even when you're already careening toward the end.
This workshop will take place online.
Saturday, November 14, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ($80)
We are always beginning again. We start with a line, and then the deeper we delve, the more a story’s beginning will shift and evolve beyond our first impulse. Whether you're just starting a memoir or reimagining your opening after years of working on it, this class will help you move beyond the conventional "hook" and open instead with the heart of your story. Rather than reaching for easy intrigue, we'll explore how the most powerful memoir openings work the way great film does — introducing readers immediately to a story's tone, texture, themes, and the central question the work may never fully untangle. When you open with the heart of your memoir, the hook takes care of itself. In this process-based workshop, we'll examine the beginnings and endings of works by authors such as Lidia Yuknavitch, Clarice Lispector, Terese Mailhot, and T Kira Madden — exploring how each opens with the crux of its deepest concerns. You can expect to leave with the starts of new stories and ideas for more, as well as an enlivened process for (re)finding your beginning — even when you're already careening toward the end.
This workshop will take place online.
Saturday, November 14, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ($80)