What we're doing in class: "I Am Not a Real Writer": Some short memoirs

The title of my Saturday class, "I Am Not a Real Writer" at HVWC, is meant to bring in people who THINK this about themselves. The truth is everyone who writes is a writer, and if you're writing about things that really matter to you-- whether it's in the form of memoir, journalism, or stories about aliens-- then you're doing something worthwhile. 

This one has turned out to be sort of a memoir class, because that's what the people in it are interested in. As promised, here are some more short pieces we've been talking about. 


Marlon James, "One Day I Will Write About My Mother"

Dylan Thomas, "A Child's Christmas in Wales"

Alexander Chee, "Mr. and Mrs. B"

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And here's a good recent list: "15 Short Memoirs"

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This past Saturday, we spent a bit of time on "My Family's Slave" by Alex Tizon, and talked about approaching subjects around which we as writers feel guilt, shame, or conflicted emotions. Class members brought pages of their own writing to read aloud, dealing with this theme.