Begins Tuesday, May 5th, 2026

Class will meet weekly via Zoom for 2 Hours on Tuesdays at 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Eastern

🌍 Class Times by Time Zone: Los Angeles (PT): 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM / Chicago (CT): 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM / New York (ET): 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM 

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us. 

Abi Maxwell is the author of the novels Lake People and The Den. Her memoir, One Day I'll Grow Up and Be a Beautiful Woman, explores parenting and transgender rights in rural America. After graduating from the writing program at the University of Montana, she spent many years working as a public librarian and a high school librarian in her home state of New Hampshire. She now lives in California, writing and advocating for transgender youth.

Who is this class for?

Limited to just 12 students, this online memoir writing workshop is for those who want to write a book-length memoir but feel too overwhelmed by the sheer amount of material to know where to start or how to navigate through the project. Open to introductory and intermediate writers, this class welcomes anyone ready to mine their life stories and begin shaping them on the page.

What to expect:

In this generative memoir workshop, you will explore how to mine your life stories and shape a memoir around a particular aspect or theme. You will write a lot, read each other's work, and study elements of craft that give writers more agency in their projects. Through weekly Zoom sessions, you'll build a supportive community of fellow memoirists while developing the tools you need to tackle a book-length work.

All students will workshop up to 15 pages and receive peer and instructor feedback. Students are also welcome to submit up to 40 pages to the instructor for detailed written feedback. Along the way, you'll read occasional handouts and each other's work, deepening your understanding of the craft of memoir through both study and practice in this online writing class.

Whether you've been circling a memoir idea for years or are just beginning to see the shape of your story, this creative writing course will help you get over the hurdle of where to begin and learn how to just dive in.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will get over the hurdle of where to begin and learn how to dive into a memoir project. Students will leave the course with at least 15 written pages, a plan for how to move forward, and a deeper understanding of craft so they have more agency in their work. All students will workshop up to 15 pages with peer and instructor feedback, and students may submit up to 40 pages to the instructor for written feedback.

Readings

Students will read each other's work as well as occasional handouts provided by the instructor.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: Introductions, getting to know each other, exploring voice and perspective.

Week 2: Workshop; writing through difficult emotions, building character (including your own).

Week 3: Workshop; truth, memory, and other sticky memoir topics.

Week 4: Workshop; shaping your project in micro and macro ways.

Week 5: Workshop; pace and tension.

Week 6: Workshop; final thoughts and questions.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Tools and strategies to get writing and overcome the overwhelm of a book-length memoir project
• Peer and instructor feedback on up to 15 workshopped pages, plus optional written instructor feedback on up to 40 pages
• A deeper sense of a defining theme or aspect of your life to shape your memoir around
• Greater agency with voice, perspective, tension, pacing, and other essential craft elements
• At least 15 new written pages and a clear plan for moving forward with your memoir
• A supportive community of fellow memoir writers

PAYMENT OPTIONS: