From the Somerville Public Library:
Write compellingly about your own life experiences and transform memories into an enduring work of art! For six sessions, we will tap into the storyteller within us all, pick our brains for those parts of our lives that make for great stories, and turn the mundane into the heroic. At the same time, we will explore some aspects of craft fundamental to the memoir genre, such as dialogue, characterization, structure, pacing, and perspective. There will be plenty of in-class prompts, a few short assignments, and the chance to work on a longer piece.
This workshop is taught by Mike Alvarez, an MFA candidate at Goddard College’s Creative Writing program. Mike received his B.A. from Rutgers University, where he won the Charles Flaherty Award for best student and thesis in psychology, and his M.A. from the Individualized Studies program, also at Goddard. During and in between degrees, he has worked at a residential facility for the mentally ill, served as program coordinator at Mass. General Hospital’s Eating Disorders Clinic, and taught basic composition and expository writing to college students. Mike is currently on the editorial staff of Pitkin Review, a biannual literary journal. Mike is also in the middle of writing two books: a work of serious nonfiction exploring the relationship between creativity and self-destructive behavior, and a memoir, a coming of age story.
This free workshop is open to everyone, irrespective of writing background. If you would like to sign up, please e-mail Mike at mike.alvarez[at]goddard[dot]edu or call him at 646-712-2736.
