moving into words

different approaches to writing memoir

 a life's made up of strata like this cliff pictured below. history's evidence is embedded in layers that press on each other. it's also occupied by the present constantly shifting our relationship to the past. we have to pick our way carefully through—keep track of what's important & our voice authentic.

if you're writing a memoir and could use support and intimations of direction, contact me

kittiwakes nesting in cliffs formed 65,000 years ago, on coastal Cleveland Way, Yorkshire

the presence of memory: making sense of your life through writing  @ sfu downtown sep 12-oct 17

6 monday mornings 10:30-12:20

whether you want to write about your life for your family or because you think you have a story worth telling, writing a memoir can be a way of meeting one's "self" face to face. most of us recognise we have many selves that come to the fore involuntarily, depending on the context we find ourselves in. 

which self is going to be the narrator of your life story and which one the protagonist? Learn how to write about your lived experience in a way that keeps you writing and your readers reading.

to register

layers of history in this rock. like a life. how to excavate delicately is part of the art of memoir.

 






















2015

the presence of memory: making sense of your life through writing   @ sfu downtown oct 31-dec 5

6 saturday mornings 10:30-12:30

whether you want to write about your life for your family or because you think you have a story worth telling, writing a memoir can be a way of meeting one's "self" face to face. most of us recognise we have many selves that come to the fore involuntarily, depending on the context we find ourselves in. 

Which self is going to be the narrator of your life story and which one the protagonist? Learn how to write about your lived experience in a way that keeps you writing and your readers reading.

to register  




 

through memoir's mirror —mapping your story  

8 thursday evenings 5 feb - 26 mar 6pm-9pm             on the eastside of vancouver   $240

you want to tell this story of how it is to live in your skin; a story that both fascinates and deceives you—for how can you pin down the elusive, ever-changing formlessness of a life still lived? 

in this 8-week series you will start to find your bearings through specific writing exercises in-class and at home; in-depth reading, feedback and discussion.

limited to 8 participants

more info/to register

writing a memoir—(re)discovering yourself through words

saturday 13 sept-25 oct (no class 11 oct)   1pm-2:50pm

sfu downtown                                                         $104 seniors' 55+ discount 

this course will focus on developing the skills and tools you need to write autobiographically at a point when you have started to put down the story of your life on paper. there's so much to it—where to begin—how to continue—what’s the end?

 contact for more info & to register






















grandma buckman circa 1923

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