Writing Life Stories

Begins Thursday, September 15, 2011

The art of the life story has blossomed with the growing genres of Personal Essay and Memoir, as well as in more unstructured forms, like journal-writing and blogging.

In this class, you’ll learn how elements such as dialogue, voice, detail, memory, metaphor, scenes and flowing language can transform musings and life experiences into lively and thought-provoking writing. Together we will dig deeper into storycraft and develop workshopping skills.

Each week includes:

Writing prompts
Deeper exploration of craft elements and using language
Analyzing published work to learn to "read like a writer"
Giving and receiving feedback on student work
Lively discussion on issues around telling stories from our lives

Writer's Roadmap
This course is suited for beginning writers, or others who wish to get "back to the basics."

About the Instructor: Ellen Blum Barish has a masters degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Her feature articles have appeared in Newsweek, Self and The Chicago Tribune. She is author of a collection of award-winning essays based on her syndicated newspaper columns on women’s issues and family life. Many of her personal essays have aired as radio commentaries on WBEZ-Chicago Public Radio’s Eight-Forty-Eight program. She has taught writing at many Chicago-area universities including Northwestern.

Date/Time: Thursdays, September 15 to November 10, 2011; 12:15pm-2:45pm
Eight session class (No class September 29)
Location: North Shore Studio, 723 Elm Street, Winnetka

Course Fee: Non-Member: $425; Member: $405. Includes reading packet and instructor reviews.
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