“Memoir in Miniature: The Art of the Personal Essay” with M. M. Adjarian
February 26, 2022 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM CST
$49.00 – $109.00
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This Event is for Members only.
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$49 for Members
$109 for Non-Members
All registrants will have access to the class recording for one month.
These days, it seems like everyone – from tween/teen bloggers to seasoned New York Times best-selling authors – is writing about their lives. But what makes some stories more satisfying than others? And more to the point, how can you tell the difference between the kinds of personal stories people want to read and the ones they don’t?
In this class, you’ll learn the art of the personal essay through an in-depth, guided discussion of models by contemporary writers and exercises designed to help you craft a 500 word+ mini personal essay (also known as “flash” nonfiction) that you can use as the basis for (1) a more substantial essay (2500+ words), suitable for journal submission or (2) the seed for a book-length project.
The class is intended for writers of all levels, from beginner to advanced, and will explore how to sift through story material to find those all-important tension points that make people take notice, grab readers by the throat from the start with compelling openings and “shoot straight from the gut” to avoid the narrative clichés guaranteed to turn readers off.
TAKE THIS CLASS IF
- You’re writing or interested in writing memoir or personal essays.
- You’re getting ready to publish a book of fiction and want to publish personal essays to help promote it.
- You’re trying to find the heart of your memoir.
The deadline to register for this class is Friday, February 25 at 5:00 PM CST.
Instructor
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M. M. (Maude) Adjarian has published her essays, short fiction and poetry in such journals as the Baltimore Review, Grub Street, Verdad, South 85, The Serving House Journal, Pif, Gravel, Glint and Crack the Spine, among others. A senior non-fiction book reviewer at Kirkus, her articles have also appeared in Arts+Culture Texas, Bitch Magazine, Tribeza-Austin and the Dallas Voice. Currently, she is at work on a family memoir provisionally titled This Life That Binds.
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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.