Where Is Your Mother? Family Relationships Missing from Your Memoir

Memoir-writing challenges us to interrogate ourselves. Transcribing those memories can be difficult, but even more difficult is ensuring we are honest about how our important relationships have shaped us. It’s easy to sweep something—or someone—under the proverbial rug, hoping that their absence will give us the strength and courage to finish our first draft. But when we write “The End” and go back to re-read, there is often a sense of dissatisfaction that might have a potential reader wondering, “But why didn’t they talk about….?”
This course will ask you who or what you have left out, and why it’s important to evaluate bringing them into the fold. We will look at how to treat that “character” with respect and look at examples from authors who use compassion and authenticity when looking at hard relationships. Let’s get a handle on the “fear of family” repercussions, so that your work can sing its song.
Course outcomes/goals
Participants will be able to:
Identify the person/thing they have been leaving out, and why Use literary exemplars to practice self-interrogation Compose without worry of repercussions
Read and discuss author examples as related to Fear of Family (“FOF”)
Respond to writing prompts and visual art
Access Program
We want our writing classes and seminars to be accessible to everyone, regardless of income and background. We understand that our tuition structure can present obstacles for some people. Our Access Program offers writing class and seminar tuitions at a reduced rate. Most writing classes have at least one access spot available.
Please apply here for access rate tuition. Contact Susan Moore at susan@literary-arts.org if you have questions.
Liaison position
Every in-person class and seminar at Literary Arts has one liaison position. Liaisons perform specific duties for each class meeting. If you are a liaison for a class or seminar, the full amount of your tuition is covered by Literary Arts.
Apply here for the liaison position.