From Journal to Memoir: A Transformative Writing Workshop

Class Description

This is an introductory class for folks who want to pull from their journals over the years and start a memoir. The writing doesn’t need to be the start to a book - it can be an autobiographical essay, a poem, or an experimental creative piece. Participants will bring their journal entries over the years and draw from them as inspiration. Tiffany will provide guidance on how to focus the writing and have it reflect the authentic tone of the writer. Most of the class will be hands-on, working with the journal entries, editing, and writing. At the end of each class, there will be an opportunity to share about the creative process - active participation is highly encouraged.

All virtual classes are recorded and made available to participants registered in the class. These recordings are password-protected and available for up to two weeks after the class ends.

Tiffany Wong (she/her) is a Chinese interdisciplinary artist committed to exploring collective liberation through creativity. She believes that art is a powerful medium for embodied connection with both the self and the collective. Creative fulfillment comes from living a life that integrates honesty, integrity, and curiosity.

What to Expect

Format: Virtual

Class Capacity: 30

Class Style: Workshop; participation- and assignment-based

Materials List

No Required Materials

First Assignment

• Bring your journals to the first week of class. (Extra: choose a year or era to focus on.)

A Brief Syllabus

1. Gather journals and highlight
2. Focus in and reformat
3. Edit and finalize

Cost and Registration

3 Sessions, $150 ($135 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($150), Community Supported ($140), and Sponsor ($160).Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

Having trouble signing up? Take a look at our step-by-step guide to registration by clicking here.

The views and opinions expressed in this class and/or by the instructor are not necessarily representative of the Newberry. We aim to ensure that in our classes, participants can have respectful disagreement to foster critical thinking. This is a space to challenge and expand our own worldviews to work towards better understanding and appreciating humanity.

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View our full schedule of adult education classes.

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Questions?

Call us at (312) 255-3700 or send us an email at adulteducation@newberry.org.

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