Life Stories

Catalog description

In this class, we will explore what the concept of family means for each of us - and how to transform our families' stories into powerful, lasting fiction. Through writing exercises, weekly readings and in-class visits with some of the most exciting contemporary writers working today, we will delve into our own unique ancestral histories and legacies. We will discuss how to work with and shape memories, factual and emotional truths, oral histories, family gossip and lore. We will also examine how to write convincingly about times, places and experiences not our own. Weekly readings will include work by Louise Erdrich, James McBride, Ocean Vuong and Nicole Krauss. Through visits with experts in the field, we will also examine techniques for carrying out enlightening interviews and conducting successful archival research - and, equally important, what to do when there's no one around to answer our questions. Students will come away with a stronger, more focused skillset for writing about their life stories and the people who animate them - the beautiful, challenging, hilarious, maddening people we call our families.