
“On Interviewing: Tips for Storytellers” with Margaret Juhae Lee
October 5, 2024 10:00 AM - 1:00 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
This class recording is now only available for purchase by our Members.
The class recording will be made available to class registrants until January 31, 2025.
Do you want to incorporate interviews into your writing?
Interviews, especially with family members, can greatly enrich any writing project across any genre—memoir, fiction and nonfiction. However, many writers are unsure how to conduct them, especially with subjects who might be uncomfortable speaking about the past and recounting what might be painful memories.
In this class, participants will learn about the process of interviewing—from types of interviews, how to prepare, conducting the interview itself, and transcription options. We will also brainstorm creative ways to approach reluctant interviewees and consider communication styles, environment, comfort level, and different methods of conducting interviews. The class will also include a discussion of oral history, the collection and study of historical information gathered through interviews.
TAKE THIS CLASS IF:
- You want to incorporate interviews into your creative writing.
- You are unsure how to approach reticent interviewees, especially family members.
- You want to learn how to prepare for an interview from a seasoned journalist.
- You are interested in oral history.

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.


Margaret Juhae Lee is the author of Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History (Melville House), which is centered on three long-form interviews she conducted with her grandmother. A former editor at The Nation magazine, she received a Bunting Fellowship from Harvard University and a Korean Studies Fellowship from the Korea Foundation. She attended the Tin House and Writer’s Hotel writing workshops and was awarded residences at Mesa Refuge, Anderson Center and the Mineral School. She has written articles for The Nation, Newsday, Elle, ARTnews, and numerous other publications. More recently, she has focused on interviewing writers for Ploughshares Blog and The Rumpus. She lives in Oakland with her family and Brownie, a rescue dog from Korea.