Out of an abundance of caution in response to the spread of COVID-19, we have canceled all remaining seminars in the Winter/Spring 2020 term. Please visit www.newberry.org/covid19 for further updates.

Please email seminars@newberry.org with any questions.

Seminar Description

A personal journal can be a secret record, for the author’s eyes only. But it can also be a “test kitchen” for trying out new ideas and ways of writing. This seminar will provide exercises and inspiration for those interested in developing and maintaining a creative journaling habit. Yet it will also explore how to turn personal into public writing, by exploring how to make your memories and observations universal and fit for publication. Throughout the seminar, we will also read and discuss various non-fiction works, including diaries and memoirs, by writers like David Sedaris, Joan Didion, and Frank McCourt.

Six sessions. E – $210, R – $231

A life-long diarist, Mary Wisniewski is an award–winning reporter and columnist for the Chicago Tribune. Additionally, she is the author of Algren: A Life, the highly-praised biography of Chicago writer Nelson Algren.

Materials List

Required:

Choose one of three books, any edition:

• Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
• George Orwell, 1984.
• Richard Wright, Black Boy.

First Reading:

• There is no reading assignment for the first class.

Registration Information

• Online registration opens at 9 am (CST) on Tuesday, January 7.
• Phone registration opens at 12 pm (CST) on Wednesday, January 8.

Early registration (E) prices are in effect from January 7 at 9 am through January 24 at 4 pm. Regular registration (R) prices are in effect January 24 at 4 pm through the end of the term.

We offer a 10% discount to members, seniors, and students.

Need Help? Please email seminars@newberry.org.

This seminar is part of the Newberry’s Seminars Program. Learn more about registering for a seminar, program policies and procedures, or teaching a seminar.