Workshops
Guided by award-winning author Aaron Hamburger, examine how to write memorable stories based on personal narratives, whether in the form of a memoir or a work of fiction.
Dates:
Feb 3, 2024 - Feb 24, 2024
Levels:
Intermediate,
Advanced,
Workshop Fee: $895
Workshop Duration: 10 hours over 4 sessions (Saturdays, 10:30am-1pm ET)
Workshop Location: Online
Class Size: 10
Note: This Course will be held in a live, online format using the Zoom Platform.
Class meets for 4 Saturdays, Feb 3, 10, 17 & 24 from 10:30am-1pm ET
”How do we make sense of our own experience without becoming a prisoner of our own narrative, our own construction?” –Julie Wittes Schlack
This workshop is geared toward participants who are working on stories based on autobiographical material, whether in the form of a memoir or work of fiction. Together, we will look at examples from published work for inspiration, try out writing exercises to hone our revision skills at both the macro and micro levels, and then submit our writing for peer critique. During our discussions, we will consider issues like the limits of memory, our responsibility to our subjects who may read our work, how to overcome our blind spots, and the best ways to use research to flesh out our stories. After this workshop, you will have a clearer understanding of how to use classic storytelling techniques to add structure and vivid details of character, time, and place to make your writing feel vital and alive.
Student Testimonials
“The experience with Maine Media- and the access to such high-level instructors- made me feel like I could turn my dream of being a writer into a career. The use of practical steps, the hands on learning and the incredible resources were HUGE for me! Couldn’t recommend enough.” – Hunter Paul
“Aaron Hamburger’s course was organized, pertinent and helpful. It helped me realize the challenge of turning anecdotes into meaning. Mr. Hamburger’s comments were insightful. I appreciated his openness to revealing himself and the writing life. I would certainly recommend this course to others.” – Mike Szela
“On more occasions than I can recall, Aaron had something to say that was so wise, insightful and helpful that that remark alone was worth the price of admission. Yet this happened many times. I now have new knowledge and insight about writing memoir that will directly inform my project, moving forward.” – Jennifer Schoerke
Recommended texts
- A Stranger’s Journey: Race, Identity, and Narrative Craft in Writing by David Mura
- Making a Literary Life by Carolyn See
Instructor Aaron Hamburger has written multiple award-winning books and has taught creative writing at Columbia University, George Washington University, New York University, Brooklyn College, and the Stonecoast MFA Program.
Listen to Aaron talk about his novel, Hotel Cuba, which tells the true story of his grandmother’s immigration journey from Russia to the U.S. via Havana, Cuba.
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Instructor: Aaron Hamburger
Aaron Hamburger is the author of a story collection titled THE VIEW FROM STALIN’S HEAD which was awarded the Rome Prize by the American Academy of Arts and Letters and nominated for a Violet Quill Award. He has also written three novels: FAITH FOR BEGINNERS, nominated for a Lambda Literary Award, NIRVANA IS HERE, winner of a Bronze Medal from the 2019 Foreword Reviews Indies Book Awards, and HOTEL CUBA, due out from Harper Perennial in May 2023.
His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Village Voice, Tin House, Michigan Quarterly Review, Subtropics, Crazyhorse, Boulevard, Poets & Writers, Tablet, O, the Oprah Magazine, and many others. He has also won fellowships from Yaddo, Djerassi, the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and the Edward F. Albee Foundation.
He has taught creative writing at Columbia University, the George Washington University, New York University, Brooklyn College, and the Stonecoast MFA Program.
