Summer 2008 Workshops at Writers & Books

Creative Non-Fiction

Essays to Live By: Reading and Writing Creative Non-Fiction Part 1

JA8-N01
4 Mondays, 7–9 p.m.
June 23 through July 14
$79 W&B members / $85 general public
Instructor: Anaïs Salibian

This class immerses you in the study of the genre with many faces. We will grapple with the following questions: What is “creative non- fiction”? What do you have to say? How can you shape your writing to create good essays? We will study essays that will amaze you, make you laugh and make you cry. We’ll examine various authors and your manuscripts for the elements of good writing. You will get writing prompts to produce your own essays. You’ll learn how to discover themes and find the right structure for your work.

Part I and Part II can be taken independently of each other.
In Part I, we will read and write short memoirs and personal
essays.

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Essays to Live By: Part 2

JA8-N02
4 Mondays, 7–9 p.m.
July 21 through August 11
$79 W&B members / $85 general public
Instructor: Anaïs Salibian

Continuation of the above class, but it can be taken separately. In Part II we will focus on expanding our scope to essays that include reflections on larger issues.

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Creative Nonfiction Intensive

JA8-N03
5 Tuesdays, 6:30–8:30 p.m.
July 1 through July 29
$90 W&B members / $95 general public
Instructor: Sonja Livingston

A continuation of the year-long nonfiction class, this workshop is perfect for anyone with an ongoing nonfiction project. It will provide an opportunity to share work and receive feedback in a supportive environment.Focus will be on crafting nonfiction that borrows devices from fiction and poetry, and most importantly, that hooks readers.Time will be set aside for discussing contemporary forms and what’s being published in the world of essay and memoir. Open to previous enrollees, and new students (with communication of the instructor: slivingston@gmail.com).

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The Living, Breathing Memoir

JA8-N04
1 Saturday, 1–3 p.m.
August 9
$32 W&B members / $36 general public
Instructor: Izyaslav Darakhovskiy

It may be easy to tell someone a general outline of your life with the most important events. It is another thing to give that story the flesh and blood and emotion that makes it a living and
breathing memoir. Izyaslav Darakhovskiy—whose book Under Three Empires is an account of his childhood spent partly in a Nazi camp in Ukraine, his later religious persecution under the communist system, and his emigration to the US—will discuss the challenges and skills of making an engaging story of your life, whatever your background, whatever your experience. An essential class for memoirists.

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