Writing to Preserve Memory: Capturing and Sharing Life Stories

All levels are welcome. Limited to 12 participants.

Isabel Allende confessed, “I write to preserve memory against the erosion of oblivion and to bring people together.”

Every life is a story, and when we write that story, we not only preserve it but share the joys and disappointments, the heartaches and the triumphs, and most importantly, the lessons learnt.

Memoir, by its nature, is more concerned with the emotional truth of occurrences and moments from a life, as opposed to biography, which is more often focused on factual or chronological events.

In this memoir workshop, we will explore how to begin telling your story and review examples of the different ways that a story can be told. Will it be a travelogue or will it focus on major events that influenced your life? Or will it be about a relationship with a loved one? These are just a few possibilities.

A portion of each session will be set aside for writing exercises based on prompts to help unlock the confidence you need to shape your story, and to share your writing.

As an adjunct, a recommended reading list of traditional and innovative memoirs will be provided, and participants will be encouraged to review and share their favourite styles.