A memoir offers an account of personal history less tethered to the chronology of a life than autobiography. A memoir can also describe an extended reflection on a particular topic or period from a personal perspective, as in the cases of Olivia Laing's essays on contemporary art in The Lonely City, or Helen MacDonald's H is for Hawk. A memoir can follow a conventional narrative arc or take shape in verse and snippets; it can offer snapshots, or a deep excavation of the past. This series of workshops will explore what shape might naturally fit your experience and literary ambition working with the material you share. This course is best suited to participants who have already started to write in this form, are prepared to read widely, and who have work to present for peer and facilitator feedback in session.
Selina Guinness is a lecturer in English at IADT, Dun Laoghaire and an experienced facilitator of creative writing. Her memoir, The Crocodile by the Door, was shortlisted for the UK Costa Book Awards (2012), and the BGE Irish Book Awards (2012). She publishes creative non-fiction and reviews in The Dublin Review, The Irish Times, and elsewhere.