Flash Memoir: Moments From Your Life

Course Number

WRI1-5a-Tue1

Study Group Leader (SGL)

Donna Johns

Location

This course will take place virtually on Zoom. Participation in this course requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.

5-Week Course

March 11 - April 8

Description

Do you want to write a memoir but are having trouble getting started? Or have you accumulated some memoir writing but think it lacks the spark to draw in a reader? This is the study group for you! We will use some unusual flash (short-short story) formats and prompts to develop five brief but compelling memoirs. For example, you might be asked to write a brief 250- word diary entry about a difficult decision you had to make.

We’ll share our work each week and provide feedback to help polish your writing. This study group is open to all…no previous experience required. All you need is a sense of fun and a dollop of imagination.

Group Leadership Style

More facilitated discussion than lecture.

Course Materials

All materials and prompts will be provided on a class website or by email links.

Preparation Time

2 hours/ week.

Biography

Donna Johns loves to write and loves to collaborate with other writers in BOLLI study groups. She is also a reader, librarian, theater director, and a decent baker. Over the past five years, she has led many groups writing memoirs and flash fiction.