This class is geared toward writers who are ready to tell their life stories but who aren't sure where to go from here. You may have written several pages already. You have at least have a fairly clear idea of the kind of memoir you want to write. But you may also be asking yourself why anyone should care about your story. Maybe you're wondering what repercussions will follow if you publish an honest account of your childhood -- or college years -- or divorce. And how easy it is to sell a memoir if you're neither famous nor infamous? This class will answer these questions while providing a provocative, supportive environment where you can workshop your memoir-in-progress and receive invaluable feedback.

With the aid of weekly assignments, lectures, reading, and in-class critique, you'll produce up to 30 pages of polished text as well as an outline for the rest of the book that will serve as the basis for a potential contract. You'll learn about craft, style, and the development of a distinctive voice and about techniques for making deeply personal material accessible-and even irresistible-to outsiders.

By the end of class, you can expect to have:
An outline, 30 pages of a memoir, and the knowledge you need to approach literary agents, magazine editors, and/or publishing houses