Instructor: Grace Loh Prasad
Are you stuck in the “messy middle” of writing a memoir, unsure of how to put it all together? Traditional memoir structure doesn't work for everyone, especially those with varied identities and life experiences. This generative class will help writers working on a book-length manuscript explore different techniques to address common issues in memoir writing such as unreliable memory, writing about trauma, and more. Using excerpts of hybrid and innovative memoirs – from The Night Parade by Jami Nakamura Lin and Dream Pop Origami by Jackson Bliss, among others – and exercises that experiment with constraints, such as the hermit crab essay, changing point-of-view, and speculative elements, you’ll see your material in new ways and unlock your storytelling potential to keep your memoir moving forward.
Students will leave this class with:
*newly written material from guided prompts
*techniques to tackle difficult but important scenes
*insights into using experimental and lyrical approaches to memoir
Grace Loh Prasad’s debut memoir The Translator’s Daughter (Mad Creek Books/The Ohio State University Press, 2024) was a finalist for the Northern California Book Award in creative nonfiction and the Feminist Press Louise Meriwether First Book Prize. Grace writes frequently about belonging and diaspora for publications including the New York Times, Literary Hub, Longreads, Guernica, Brevity, The Offing, Oldster Magazine, and KHÔRA. Her writing has received support from Hedgebrook, Ragdale and Writing Between the Vines, and she has taught memoir and essay writing for Tin House, Rooted & Written, and the Writers League of Texas. Born in Taiwan and raised in New Jersey and Hong Kong, she currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.