Hybrid Memoir

INSTRUCTOR: Jessica Cole

TIME: Saturday, June 3, 1:00–4:00 p.m. CST

PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, May 28. After Sunday, May 28: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here.

LOCATION: Online via Zoom

LEVEL: All Levels

CAP: 15

Memoir’s popularity is not going anywhere, and hybrid memoir has emerged as the memoir form of the moment. An organic way to let memory tell a story, hybrids trust readers to make connections for themselves and take what resonates for them. Rather than telling a story from a lofty vantage point — after all or most of the lessons have been learned by the writer — the reader is more invested, able to make a bigger contribution to meaning-making. Hybrid memoir breaks with traditional narrative arcs, resulting in greater impact and more flexibility. Hybrids allow for multiple approaches and forms without pressure on the writer to come to (often pat) conclusions.

In this class, we will write and stitch text together. Feel free to bring in other pieces (for instance, short prompted writing from an AWA workshop you’ve taken with Jessica before!).