Write Your Story Workshop | Jan. 24-26

A Weekend Workshop on the Art of the Personal Essay

Divorce, Breakups and Beginnings

The conventional breakup story: girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl finds better boy and ultimate riches and happiness as a fly-fishing instructor in Montana.

We’re not ones to quibble with happy endings, but they are rarely so simple or straightforward as the conventional narrative suggests. Reality is messier, more complicated, more nuanced. It’s not one but a number of realities, each hard to grasp in its own way, each excruciating in its own manner, each moving toward its own singular resolution.

WHAT’S YOUR NARRATIVE?

If you’re like most people, you’ve been telling yourself a particular story for a long time, without recognizing the elements of the story–or even that it’s a story at all.

In three intensive sessions over the course of the weekend, this workshop will provide you an opportunity to examine the truth-both literal and emotional-of your story and to convey it in a compelling way. Publication is not the primary goal, but it will be discussed, encouraged, and hopefully achieved for those who are interested.

THE WEEKEND WILL INCLUDE:

  • Lessons on the craft of the personal essay
  • Assigned readings
  • Guest speakers
  • Group discussion and feedback on your work

 

January 24-26th in Brooklyn Heights, NY

$499

Only 8 spots available!

Members use code for 20% off.

ITINERARY:

Friday 6-9 PM (Includes dinner)

Saturday 10-4 PM (Includes lunch)

Sunday 10-4 PM (Includes lunch)

*We encourage you to keep your Saturday evening free to work on your narrative. The final day will be dedicated to reading, critiquing and polishing each other’s work.

Instructor Steve Friedman has won numerous writing awards and been published in more than a dozen anthologies, including The Best of Modern Love, The Bastard on the Couch, The Best American Sports Writing and The Best American Travel Writing.  He wrote the very first Modern Love column published in The New York Times, has authored seven books (including a memoir and two New York Times bestsellers). His personal essays have appeared in GQ, Esquire, Elle, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Outside, New York Magazine among many others. He has taught personal essay writing for the past 13 years in NYC, as well as at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Meghan Daum whose recent book The Problem with Everything is a New York Times notable book of 2019.

Robbie Myers is the former editor of Elle and current editor of Shondaland.