Upcoming events
Boston Book Festival - Local Author Nonfiction Reading
If you are the inquisitive sort, you won’t want to miss this reading series featuring some of the best nonfiction by local authors. Liz Hauck’s memoir Home Made: A Story of Grief, Groceries, Showing Up — and What We Make When We Make Dinner, attempts to answer the question “Who are we to one another?” as it details a weekly cooking program for boys in state care. Henry Louis Gates called Don Yacovone’s Teaching White Supremacy: America’s Democratic Ordeal And The Forging Of Our National Identity “the most profoundly original cultural history in recent memory.” It reveals how the myth of white supremacy was perpetuated in classrooms across the nation. Janet Pocorobba gives insight into the ancient Japanese tradition of apprenticeship with a sensei in The Fourth String: A Memoir of Sensei and Me, an account of her sojourn in Japan learning the notoriously difficult three-stringed shamisen. Stephanie Schorow relates the devastating and little-known history of the 1872 fire that destroyed Boston’s downtown in The Great Boston Fire: The Inferno That Nearly Incinerated the City. It happened in 1872 and nearly destroyed the city. William R. Cross’s biography, Winslow Homer: American Passage, has been praised by critics for its exuberant analysis of the painter’s life and role in American culture and identity. Grab a snack in the café and settle in to hear these talented authors talk about and read from their work. Hosted by Darryl C. Murphy, host of WBUR’s segment for NPR’s Consider This. Sponsored by Massachusetts Center for the Book.
Who’s Driving this Bus?: Separating Your Narrator From Your Character in Memoir
Who’s Driving this Bus?: Separating Your Narrator From Your Character in Memoir
The memoir genre is vast in style and content, but one thing all memoirs have in common is a narrator looking back on a former self. But how does one create this narrator on the page? Is there one self telling the story or two? What is the role of each? And how is all this related to voice? This session will use written exercises and discussion to clarify the narrator who is telling your story. We will also discuss the dangers of collapsing these roles, and how to use them to find the right narrative distance for your story.
Registration
MEMBER – $39.00
NON MEMBER – $49.00
Blue Desert Book Launch with guest reader Janet Pocorobba
Blue Desert by Celia Jeffries — Book Launch
May 18, 2021 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm EST
Author Celia Jeffries (Fiction and Nonfiction, 2008) will be joined in conversation with Janet Pocorobba (Nonfiction, 2006), Associate Director of the Lesley MFA Program, to celebrate the launch of Jeffries’ new book, Blue Desert.
Sentence Style
Sentence Style March 27 1:00PMEST $25
In this class we’ll practice 3 sentence styles to “level up” your writing. You’ll receive tips on how to write long sentences that add detail and nuance, and short direct sentences that add muscle and power. I’ll give samples of each of the styles for you to practice in class and after. No sharing required but we’ll discuss the effects of each style and when and how to use them.
Building Your Writing
Building Your Writing February 27 1:00PMEST
In this class we’ll use three methods of finding material to write about: “branching,” “collecting,” and three types of freewriting. In this class, we’ll turn off the editor and start to create writing around a topic of interest. This process is useful for both new projects and works-in-progress. 60 min
Truth Talk Workshop
Truth Talk Workshop Feb 13 1:00PMEST
Together in this class we’ll help you find the ‘story underneath the story’ by listening and asking you key questions. We’ll also do writing exercises to dig deep and put into words what you really want to say in that story. Limited to 5. 120min.
Writing through Struggle
Writing through Struggle January 30 1:00PMEST
We’ll use writing as a way through difficult times, including loneliness, boredom, disappointment, and uncertainty. We’ll read samples of such passages from literature, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as practices and exercises to try with the group. No sharing required, but together we will strive to put these difficult feelings into words, for ourselves and for our readers. This class will be part process but mostly craft, in which we engage with how to create these feelings on the page in a way that engages the reader without resorting to sentimentality or cliché. 60min
Writing Goals for 2021
We’ll use SMART goals to identify what we want to do with our writing in 2021. You can do it for a project or for the year, for your writing or your professional development. Expect to walk away with manageable realistic goals that you can aspire to throughout the year. 60min
My 5 Top Edits in First Drafts
RESCHEDULED! Saturday, November 7th, 2020
Staring down a first draft can be daunting. It requires identifying clearly and precisely the limitations that need to be confronted. First I’ll share ways to “befriend” the first draft with all its flaws. It’s critical to do this before you start to revise. Then I’ll share the top 5 limitations of first drafts that I see and work with as an editor. Expect to come out of the workshop with ideas of what might not yet be working in your first draft, how to focus the draft to do what you want it to do, and techniques for all of the above.
Pricing:$15 for the live class or the recording
For $45 I will respond to 10 pages of your first draft and respond with a 1000-word letter that identifies any limitations I see.
For $125 I will read 25 pages and have a one-hour Zoom Truth Talk with the writer in which we create a list of the draft’s limitations and a strategy to revise. We will also discuss any of the writer’s own personal writing tics and how to eliminate them.
As a White woman, I recognize that I have privilege and access not everyone does, and I’d like to do what I can to assist BIPOC writers in getting their voices out into the world, so I am offering this class (My 5 Top Edits in First Drafts) free to any BIPOC writer who would like to attend.
CREATING A MISSION STATEMENT FOR YOUR WRITING
Sometimes in a writing life, you can feel like you’re sleepwalking. As a result, external voices—social media, peers, the publishing world—can hold more sway over your writing than you do. In this 90-minute class, you will take control of your writing life by assessing your values and beliefs, and examining what matters most to you so you can align your writing with your passion.