Online Workshops
Introduction to Writing Memoir
Course Duration: 6 weeks
Start Date: On demand
Tutor(s): Maggie Smith Hurt
Course Fee: €175
Maggie Smith Hurt received her MFA (in poetry with a strong focus in fiction and creative non-fiction) from Hunter College in New York City where she was also a teaching fellow from 2001 to 2003. She moved to Dublin in 2003 and taught writing at University College Dublin and the Irish Writers’ Center.
After a 4 year break from teaching and writing to work for a Dublin based IT company Maggie left her corporate job and returned to her real love: writing poetry and teaching creative writing as a founding member of Big Smoke Writing Factory.
Maggie has written a chapbook and full-length book of poetry and was recently published in The SHOp and Iota poetry journals.
She lives in Dublin with her husband and daughter and makes the best chicken salad sandwiches in the world.
Course Content in Detail
Memoir is the process of creating a story from our own lives. When writing memoir, we use techniques similar to those in fiction: narration, character development, dialogue, etc. to present our lives in the richest, most developed way.
Introduction to Writing Memoir is a 6 module online course designed for people interested in writing a memoir but who are unsure of where to start. The course uses instruction, writing exercises, examples of short memoir and editing tips to help students access personal memories. Students also receive guidance on how to develop characters and dialogue to best enhance a memoir.
Students will leave the course with several pieces of writing from their own lives as well as a stronger idea of what the genre of memoir is and how their story can be shaped in this way.
Modules consists of material for the beginning memoir writer to read and exercises to try out. At the end of each module, they should have pieces of work to submit to the tutor for feedback. This is a six-module course designed to be completed over six-eight weeks.
To book this course, contact maggiesmithhurt@inkwellwriters.ie
