Summer Writing Retreat 2025 “A Deep Dive Into Memoir: The Stories We Retell & The Stories We Overlook” with Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton
July 7, 2025 - July 28, 2025
$269.00 – $409.00
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This Event is for Members only.
Click here to learn more about benefits of membership
Level 1: $269 for Members, $329 for Non-Members
Level 2 (includes Private Consultation): $349 for Members, $409 for Non-Members
We don’t always realize the value of our stories. We overlook mundane moments and daily tasks without second thoughts. But the gems in memoir often occur in the recalling the everyday alongside the larger-than-life moments in our life. Learn how to refocus and galvanize the memories you may have forgotten. These stories will serve as pillars to a narrative suite.
In this four-session course, each session will be divided into three generative guided prompts to conjure your memories. Students will share responses and gain feedback to shape their edits for future iterations. By the end, they will create a four-story collection that can be expanded into a full memoir.
Session 1 (July 7 from 6:30-9:30 PM CDT):
Finding a Landing Place: Students will consider place as an impetus for discovery. Students will map their lives using artistic models to create a brainstorming sheet they can return to again and again. From this, they will draft their first narratives.
Session 2 (July 10 from 6:30-9:30 PM CDT):
Connecting the Past and the Future: Students will examine how stories of their predecessors have shaped who they are today. By chronicling their stories, even if in myth, students will begin shaping the framework of their smaller narrative collections.
Session 3 (July 21 from 6:30-9:30 PM CDT):
The Present is Still Teaching: Students will examine “the today.” Both as a point of arrival and a springboard for what may be, the present allows students to connect to social moments, historic implications, and family ties. Students will craft narratives while examining form.
Session 4 (July 28 from 6:30-9:30 PM CDT):
Making Space for Resolve: Students will examine humor and joy as spaces to approach resolve for their readers. They will also finalize the order of their four-story collection.
TAKE THIS CLASS IF:
- You’ve always wanted to write a memoir, but aren’t sure where to start.
- You’ve started or have written a memoir, but are looking for a new approach to generating and shaping material.
- You want to learn more about the craft of memoir.
- You’ve always wanted to play in memoir.
- People always tell you that you have an interesting life.
- You want to learn how to shape a collection of personal narratives.
Preparation for the first day of class:
Please bring an open mind, a kind heart, and a willingness to dive deep.
Registration Details
Level 1: $269 for Members, $329 for Non-Members
Level 1 registration includes the 4-week course and access to all other 2025 Summer Writing Retreat events and activities.
Level 2: $349 for Members, $409 for Non-Members
Level 2 registration includes the 4-week course, access to all other 2025 Summer Writing Retreat events and activities, PLUS a 20-minute one-on-one Zoom consultation with instructor Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton. You may share up to and no more than 10 pages of your work ahead of the meeting for feedback, but that is optional and not required for the meeting. For those planning to submit work for instructor feedback, please note that AI-generated material will not be accepted. You must be the sole author of your work. For more information on AI and author guidelines and best practices, please refer to the Author’s Guild.
You may register online, or download the mail-in registration form here.
The deadline to register for this course is Monday, July 7 at 5:00 PM CDT.
Instructor
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Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton is a multi-modal storyteller whose work documents, examines, and celebrates the complexities of Black American life. She has authored Newsworthy (Bloomsday Literary, 2019), Black Chameleon (Henry Holt & Co., 2023), which won the Carr P. Collins award for Best Nonfiction through the Texas Institute of Letters, and Hush Hush Hurricane (Kokila Books, 2027). This three-time TEDx speaker has contributed to Glamour, Texas Monthly, and ESPN's Andscape and written theatrical works that have premiered at Chicago Opera Theater, the Kennedy Center, and National Sawdust. Her upcoming immersive art installation, The Call Me Mother Experience, amplifies the Black Maternal Health crisis.
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