“How to Blend Personal Narrative and Reportage in Essays and Books” with Mallary Tenore Tarpley
September 17, 2025 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM CDT
$59.00 – $119.00
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This Event is for Members only.
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$59 for Members
$119 for Non-Members
Registration for the live class is now closed. The class recording is available for purchase by our members until December 31, 2025. Become a WLT member here.
This class is a part of the Narrative Nonfiction class package.
Learn how to seamlessly blend personal narrative and reportage in stories and books to enhance your storytelling process and attract wider audiences.
Some of the most engaging essays and memoirs are a blend of narrative and reportage. In this class, students will learn practical tips for exploring complicated topics through a mix of reporting, research, and narrative. Students will also learn how to capture details and nuances when writing narrative nonfiction. In class, students will complete related writing exercises, have the opportunity for real-time feedback, and come away with newfound inspiration and ideas that they can apply to their own personal and professional writing endeavors.
TAKE THIS CLASS IF:
- You write nonfiction, memoir, and/or personal essay.
- You want to land a nonfiction book deal.
- You want to learn how to expand your memoir beyond just your own story.
- You want to learn more about what kind of reporting you can do to strengthen personal essays and memoir.
- You struggle with structuring pieces that blend personal narrative and reporting.
The deadline to register for this class is Wednesday, September 17 at 5:00 PM CDT.
Can’t make it to the live class? No problem! All classes are recorded and made available to students until January 31, 2026.
CONTINUING YOUR WRITING JOURNEY
SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
The WLT is committed to making our online classes accessible to all writers including writers who do not have the financial means to pay for programming. Five (5) seats in this class have been set aside for scholarship recipients to attend free of charge. Please fill out this application no later than 2 days prior to the class to be considered for one of the scholarship seats. We do not ask for any corroborating documents; we only ask that you help us understand your situation. If you are selected for one of the available seats you will be notified via email (from wlt@writersleague.org) no later than 24 hours before the start of the class. Please note, each writer is limited to no more than four (4) total scholarship seats per catalog season.
Instructor
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Mallary Tenore Tarpley is a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches a variety of courses on longform feature writing, nonprofit journalism, solutions journalism, personal essay writing, and more.
Previously, Mallary was the associate director of UT Austin’s Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas; executive director the nonprofit Images & Voices of Hope; and managing editor at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies.
Mallary’s articles have been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and TIME Magazine, among other publications. She has led writing trainings for news outlets around the world and for organizations such as The Poynter Institute, the Society for Features Journalism, and the Writers’ League of Texas.
Her new book SLIP explores the under-discussed complexities of eating disorders and recovery from them. Equal parts memoir and journalism, the book weaves together Mallary's own narrative with perspectives from clinicians, researchers, and others with lived experience. SLIP is the winner of the Association of American Publishers' 2026 PROSE Award for Excellence in Biological and Life Sciences. The Association also selected SLIP as a first-place winner in the Medicine Category and as a finalist in the Outstanding Work by a Trade Publisher Category.
Mallary received a generous grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support the science-related reporting in the book, specifically around the neurobiological and genetic aspects of eating disorders.
You can keep up with Mallary via her newsletter, "Write at the Edge," which features weekly writing tips and best practices: mallary.substack.com.
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The Writers’ League of Texas is dedicated to providing harassment-free spaces for everyone, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, age, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Violating these rules may result in expulsion from WLT programs without a refund at the discretion of the WLT staff.
Harassment includes, but is not limited to:
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Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, event organizers retain the right to take any actions to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the event with no refund. Event organizers may take action to redress anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants. We expect participants to follow these rules during all events and event-related social activities.
Reporting
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please report it as soon as possible. Reports can also be made via email at wlt@writersleague.org. We’ll handle any and all reports as respectfully as possible. You won’t be asked to confront anyone, and we won’t tell anyone who you are.
Accessibility Policy
Closed captioning is available for all online classes and special events.
The WLT is committed to making its programs & services accessible to all writers. Please contact us at wlt@writersleague.org or at 512-499-8914 for more information or to discuss accommodations you may need.
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Writers’ League of Texas classes and workshops are also funded in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts – Investing in a Creative Texas. For more information, go to www.arts.texas.gov.