Class Starts Thursday, April 17th, 2025

The class will meet weekly via Zoom (Thursdays, 4 - 6 PM PST / 7-9PM EST).

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Instructor Michelle Kicherer covers books and music for the San Francisco Chronicle and teaches writing classes in fiction and memoir. She is a former ghostwriter of memoir and nonfiction books and a current writing coach and founder of Banana Pitch Press, an indie press specializing in novellas and memoirellas. Her fiction has appeared in The Master's Review, The Sierra Nevada Review, The Berkeley Fiction Review, and others. Her debut novella Sexy Life, Hello came out digitally September 2024 and arrives in print March 2025. Willamette Week called it “one of the most compelling short reads of the year.” Michelle aims to have one weird new experience everyday. 

Get to know Michelle in our Meet the Teaching Artist series.

Memoir is a unique and exciting format in which the writer has the creative freedom to tell some portion of their life’s story in a captivating way. We don’t necessarily need to read your story from birth up to the present day but like any good novel, a good memoir should have a story arc, memorable characters and a narrator who changes in some way by the end of the story.

In this class, we will look at techniques for forming that story arc, for developing stronger characters and for writing scenes that will create an impact. We do this by applying some of the same storytelling and structural techniques that fiction writers use.

In this class, we will examine the work of writers whose memoirs or other nonfiction pieces have a strong storytelling component. Together, we will dissect storytelling components of their work and learn tangible tools that we can apply to our own memoirs. Each writer will have one opportunity to workshop an excerpt from their memoir, and multiple opportunities to “talk out” their work in class and gain insights from their instructor and peers.

Featuring appearances by some of our reading list writers! 

Reading List

• Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story, by Leslie Jamison
  
• Easy Beauty, Chloé Cooper Jones
  
• The Liars Club, Mary Karr
• And other excerpts and essays

COURSE OUTLINE:

Week 1: Creative Nonfiction: What is memoir? 

Week 2: Looking at aboutness and storyline in memoir + Book Talk: The Liars’ Club

Week 3: Structure Part 1, What is at Stake? What Scenes to show and why? + Workshop 1  

Week 4: Dialogue in Memoir + Workshop 2  

Week 5: Structure Part 2, Transitions and “What is the point of this story?”

Week 6: Structure Part 3, Unique Format: Using “Other” Media, etc. in Storytelling + Workshop 3

Week 7: Unique Voice +  Workshop 4

Week 8: Editing 101 + Verbal Workshop

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Understand what a strong memoir structure looks like
• Learn how to apply a novel-like story arc to your memoir
• Learn how to pinpoint and expand upon moments of tension in your memoir in order to create the greatest impact, both on your narrator (you) and your reader
• Understand how to insert humor and memorable scenes in your memoir

By the end of the course you will have:

• The tools you need to continue your writing practice
• Completed drafts for further development, revision, and publication
• The confidence that your story is meaningful for yourself and other readers

TESTIMONIALS:

"I gained confidence. I became aware of some of my strong points, the details of writing conversation, the scheme of plot and theme in developing a story, and the importance of considering less rather than more when editing one’s own work. These were all elements of writing that Michelle taught. I know my skill in writing has improved… I was amazed that so much could be covered in two hours of Zoom!” - Beverley C. Writing Student

"Michelle's class on memoir writing exceeded my expectations. Michelle's feedback on my work is so valuable, as was the feedback I received from my peers." - Cindy J.

"Michelle, thanks again and again. It’s delightful to work with you and receive helpful suggestions, skilled editing, and ongoing encouragement. You’ve fed my writing in more ways than you could ever know, or imagine.“ - Geri O. Writing Student

"I loved this class. I found Michelle's lectures, reading lists, and comments on my work particularly valuable. Thank you, Michelle!" - Robert L.

"Michelle was so easy to work with. She was able to provide new ideas, to focus my thinking, and to generate a structure and a way forward that I couldn’t see because I was too close to the material.” - Peter Novak

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

This class meets weekly via Zoom. Come prepared for a super fun class with live interaction on Zoom each week and plenty of writing, reading, and talking!

• Instructor: Michelle Kicherer

• Class Starts Thursday, April 17, 2025
  

• The class will meet weekly via Zoom (Thursdays, 4 - 6 PM PST / 7 - 9PM EST)