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Student Quotes
"The instructor gave a complete and thorough class that hit upon the entire process of memoir writing. With almost every point she had an example that clearly illustrated the topic. The writing exercises were perfect and helped communicate the points even more."
- Britta Larsen
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"This class was a wonderful mix of lecture, assignments, exchanges, and critiques. I've learned so much. My technique has improved, and I will continue to refer to the lectures as I write my memoir."
- Deborah Lehman
 Freelance Journalist
"I am a professional writer by trade, but I learned so such about character development, the elements and structure of writing memoir, and the more nuanced, subtle ingredients of story writing."
- Janet Davenport
 Communications VP
More Student Quotes Here

Faculty
Memoir NYC
Everyone has a story to tell.  Whether a life is unconventional or relatively normal, there’s bound to be something fascinating about it.  That’s why the contemporary memoir – everyday people telling their tales – has become such a popular phenomenon.  Memoirs appear throughout magazines and bookstores and a lucky few, such as Angela’s Ashes and The Liar’s Club, even make the bestseller list.

To make readers care, your memoir must be told with the finesse of fiction.  In our courses, you will learn how to focus your life stories, give them literary purpose, and apply such craft elements as character, plot, description, dialogue, setting, pacing, and theme.  You will also learn how and where to market your work.

Whether you seek to write essay-length pieces or a book, we’ll show you how to best tell the stories from your life.

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Level I
Memoir Writing | 10-week Workshop
 
Using a balance of lecture, exercise, and feedback on work from the instructor and classmates, this course gives students a firm grounding in all the basics of memoir writing. Everything is presented in a clear, accessible manner.
  • Write one or two short memoirs or begin a book
  • Lectures on basics of memoir craft
  • Writing exercises
  • Present work for critique (two times)

Memoir I is for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on the fundamentals.

View a course syllabus.

(3.0 CEU)

New York City Classes  
Tuition: $395, Returning Students $365 . Registration Fee $25.  
Each class strictly limited to 14 students, ages 18 and up.

Starts Meeting Day Location Time Special Enroll
Jan 19 Tuesdays 273 Bowery 6:45PM - 9:45PM
Jan 20 Wednesdays 272 W. 10 St. 7:00PM - 10:00PM
Jan 24 Sundays 555 8th Ave. 10:00AM - 1:00PM
No Class: Feb 14, Apr 4
Jan 25 Mondays 1450 Broadway 7:00PM - 10:00PM
No Class: Feb 15
Jan 28 Thursdays 555 8th Ave. 10:00AM - 1:00PM
= Daytime Class


Advanced
Memoir Writing | 10-week Workshop
 
Focusing on developing projects and receiving feedback from the instructor and classmates, this course helps students sharpen their skills and work toward completion of publishable work. Writers often repeat Memoir II to continue their projects.
  • Write or refine one/two short memoirs or begin or work toward completion of a book
  • Lectures that expand on basics of memoir craft
  • Writing exercises
  • Present work for in-depth critique (two times)
Prerequisite: Memoir Writing I or the equivalent.

Which level is right for you? How to Choose a Level

(3.0 CEU)

New York City Classes  
Tuition: $395, Returning Students $365 . Registration Fee $25.  
Each class strictly limited to 14 students, ages 18 and up.

Starts Meeting Day Location Time Special Enroll
Jan 19 Tuesdays 272 W. 10 St. 7:00PM - 10:00PM
No Class: Feb 16, Mar 30
Jan 23 Saturdays 555 8th Ave. 10:00AM - 1:00PM
No Class: Feb 13
Jan 25 Mondays 272 W. 10 St. 7:00PM - 10:00PM
No Class: Feb 15
Jan 28 Thursdays 555 8th Ave. 2:00PM - 5:00PM
= Daytime Class


Master Class
Memoir Writing | 10-week Workshop
 

The Memoir Writing Master Class provides students deeply immersed in the writing of a book-length memoir (or shorter piece) with the opportunity to work with a published memoirist and other dedicated writers in a small class setting. The class is devoted almost exclusively to workshopping — the reading, critiquing, and discussion of student novels. Every student will be allowed to workshop approximately 150 pages of a book. (Students may also work on short pieces, but may only submit one piece at a time.) Class size is limited to six students, all of whom have done a substantial amount of work on a memoir project and are experienced in the workshop process.

Prerequisites: The following are prerequisites for students who take Memoir Writing Master Class:

  • A complete (or nearly complete) draft of a book-length memoir or short memoir
  • Completion of two terms of Gotham’s Memoir II or Fiction II or Novel II courses
  • Acceptance by Gotham based on a sample of the student’s work

To be accepted into the Memoir Writing Master Class all students must first submit a sample of their work.

Your writing sample may be no more than ten pages. Ideally, the sample will be the first ten pages of the memoir you plan to workshop in the Memoir Writing Master Class. If that material is not yet available, you may submit ten pages from another work of your own.

A Note on the Class: All students in this class will be expected to read and critique segments of one hundred pages or more per week. The success of the class depends on the full participation of all students. Students should only take this course if they are confident they can handle the weekly load of reading and critiquing. To make this more manageable, students should have already done most or all of the work on the memoir that they plan to present to the class before class begins

A Note to Applicants: The Master Classes often get far more applicants than can be accepted, and so talented and dedicated students are often not accepted. If you are not accepted in a Master Class, you are welcome to apply another time, and you may well be accepted then.

(3.0 CEU)

New York City Classes
Instructor: Kelly Caldwell
 
Tuition: $545, No Discounts. Registration Fee $25.  
Each class strictly limited to 6 students, ages 18 and up.

Starts Meeting Day Location Time Special Enroll
Jan 19 Tuesdays 272 W. 10 St. 7:00PM - 10:00PM
No Class: Feb 16, Mar 30


Memoir Writing | One-Day in NYC
 
The One-Day Workshops are fun, fast-paced immersions in a type of writing. You’ll get a mixture of brief lectures that hit the high-points and writing exercises that let you immediately try your hand at what you’ve just learned. The one-days provide an excellent overview of their fields, ideal for both the beginner and someone wanting a quick refresher course. Come in to class with a notepad, pen, and desire to learn. By the end of the day, you’ll be a more knowledgeable and skilled writer.

One-Days are for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on the fundamentals.

Topics include: the contemporary memoir defined, character, plot, description, getting published

New York City Classes  
Tuition: $125. Registration Fee $25.  
Each class strictly limited to 25 students, ages 18 and up.

Starts Meeting Day Location Time Special Enroll
Nov 14 Saturday 30 W. 16 St. 11:00AM - 6:00PM
Jan 9 Saturday 352 7th Ave. 11:00AM - 6:00PM


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