Begins Saturday, June 6, 2026

Class will meet weekly via Google Meet on Saturdays, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET

🌍 Class Times by Time Zone: Los Angeles (PDT): 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM / Chicago (CDT): 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM / New York (EDT): 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM / London (BST): 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM / Berlin (CEST): 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

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

Instructor Bio

Instructor Shonda Buchanan is a PEN Emerging Voices Fellow and PEN America Mentor. An Associate Professor in the Department of English at Western Michigan University and Alma College's MFA Program in Creative Writing, Shonda is editor of two poetry anthologies, author of three collections of poetry, The Lost Songs of Nina Simone, Who's Afraid of Black Indians?, Equipoise: Poems from Goddess Country, as well as the award-winning memoir, Black Indian, chosen by PBS NewsHour as a "Top 20 books to read to learn about institutional racism." Shonda has published in The Mississippi Review, TAB Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the LA Weekly, LA Times Magazine, AWP's The Writer's Chronicle, Indian Country Today, Red Ink Journal, LA Parents Magazine and freelanced for The International Review of African American Art, Westways, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Daily Press and Sisters of AARP. Shonda's forthcoming essay collection, Children of the Mixed Blood Trail, explores mixed-race migration in North America. A descendant of the African Mende nation of Sierra Leone, and in North America, the Coharie, Choctaw and Eastern Band Cherokee, and Europeans, Shonda writes on Chumash/Tongva lands in Los Angeles and in the Midwest on Ojibwe/Anishinaabe, Ottawa and Potawatomi lands. Shonda has taught creative writing, research and BIPOC/American literature for the past 27 years.

Who is this class for?

This course is for budding and intermediate memoirists interested in exploring new ways to tell their personal stories. Whether you're just beginning to shape a memoir or looking to deepen an existing project, this online writing class is open to all levels.

What to expect:

What happens when you want to write a memoir but you don't know how to choose the right memory? Or you don't know how to incorporate someone else's memory or are unsure how to use memory as plot? Memory is tricky, but crafting memory can be learned.

"That's not the way I remember it." How many times have writers described an incident in their lives only to have that memory be challenged by friends and family members? That's the nature of the memoir beast, and this nonfiction writing workshop will help you deal with temporal transitions, accessing and recovering memory, how to use memory to propel your narratives forward, and how to craft your story in a way that leaves no doubt that it's your story.

Reading narrative nonfiction, literary and mainstream essays, and memoir excerpts, students in this online writing class will analyze the work of authors who have successfully used memory as a tool in various ways. Over six weeks, you will explore the genre in its multifaceted forms while discerning cultural perspectives such as gender, identity, and ethnicity. Instructor Buchanan will teach you to find and hone in on your story, motif, and plot points, and you will develop several chapters by the time the class ends. This creative writing workshop fosters a warm, interactive environment—feel free to munch, drink wine or sparkling water, and have a gourmet snack while you talk, craft, draft, workshop, and polish your work.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will write 2–5 pages or 4–6 scenes per class to generate new material. The instructor provides verbal and written feedback every class, ensuring each writer receives guidance and support throughout the workshop.

Readings

Readings may include excerpts from Mary Karr's The Art of Memoir, Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, The Liar's Club by Mary Karr, Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo, and Heavy by Kiese Laymon.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: Introductions / Recovering Earliest Memories / Finding Your Story

Week 2: Writing Temporal Transitions and Shifts in Time / In the Telling

Week 3: Falsehoods and Realities We Forget to Remember

Week 4: Writing the Hard and Scary Memories

Week 5: Writing the Mother / Father / Teacher or Society Wound 

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• How to choose and use memory as plot points to propel the narrative forward
• How to craft the memory of others, even if you weren't born
• How to find and use your memories to tell your authentic story
• Techniques for navigating temporal transitions and shifts in time
• Strategies for writing difficult, hard, and scary memories
• Development of several memoir chapters with instructor feedback

TESTIMONIALS:

"Working in the nonfiction cohort with Shonda Buchanan allowed me to step back from chapter one of my manuscript and view it with a critical eye. As nonfiction writers, we have a unique ability to focus on the details of everyday life. Yet, this focus can also be a weakness because we are often blind to our forest while we write about the trees. Shonda guided the participants in my writing group to study how the details in our writing were effectively or ineffectively creating the bigger picture. While guiding with her adept talents as an instructor of creative writing, she offered insights from her experience as a writer of memoirs, essays, poetry, and fiction. Ms. Buchanan doesn't solely bring her wealth of artistic and intellectual talent to the creative writing table; she also shares her woman's wisdom gained from a multicultural lifestyle and extensive travel. She encourages us to read our work, the work of our group members, and to offer supportive opinions. And she, in turn, listens, meditates on what she hears, and offers much-needed, sound advice that pushes us steps further in our development as creative writers." — Audrey Shipp

"Shonda Buchanan was my workshop leader at PEN America's Emerging Voices workshop, and she is a stellar teacher and presence. It's clear that she has honed her craft over many years, and in the classroom, she skillfully lends this insight. Her marketing expertise is equally as strong as her literary knowledge, and I fully recommend her as a guiding force behind any manuscript from conception to publication." — Jessica

"As a participant in Shonda's PEN America Emerging Voices workshop, I witnessed firsthand her extraordinary ability to pinpoint themes and provide transformative solutions for any piece of writing. Her generous spirit and deep wisdom make her an invaluable mentor who truly elevates every writer she teaches." — Yvonne L.

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $395 USD. You can pay for the course in full or use Shop Pay or Affirm to pay over time with equal Monthly Payments. Both options are available at checkout.

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

• Instructor: Shonda Buchanan
• Begins Saturday, June 6, 2026
• Class will meet weekly via Google Meet on Saturdays, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET
• Tuition is $395 USD.