Speculative Memoir: You, Fantastically Amplified One-Day Writing Seminar with Sage Tyrtle (Zoom) on Saturday, May 15th, 2027
Begins Saturday, May 15th, 2027
Live Seminar via Zoom from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM ET
🌍 Class Times by Time Zone: Los Angeles (PDT): 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM / Chicago (CDT): 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM / New York (EDT): 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM / London (BST): 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM / Berlin (CEST): 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Now Enrolling! Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.
About the Instructor
Instructor Sage Tyrtle writes stories unsettling enough for The Offing, yet NPR let them on air. Included in Best Microfiction, Moth GrandSLAM winner, and Pushcart nominee, they've taught 150+ workshops for Smokelong Quarterly and Clarion West, among others. Their work lives at the intersection of literary craft and, "Wait, did they just say that?"
Who is this class for?
This online writing seminar is for nonfiction and memoir writers who want to explore the speculative side of creative nonfiction. Whether you are deep into a memoir project, drawn to magical realism, or simply curious about what happens when your real life meets the imagined, this class is for you. It is open to all levels.
What to expect:
Discover the extraordinary within your own history. This one-day writing workshop empowers you to merge your true personal narratives with the compelling frameworks of speculative fiction.
Move beyond mere memoir. Over two hours on Zoom, we will explore methods to refract your lived experiences through lenses of the surreal, the alternate, and the imagined future. You will learn to identify the fracture points in your own memories, the places where reality can bend, and apply genres like magical realism, alternate history, and soft science fiction to transform personal anecdotes into powerful narratives. The focus throughout is on using speculative elements as tools to illuminate, exaggerate, and interrogate the deepest truths of your authentic story.
This is a generative creative writing class built around prompts and in-session writing rather than lecture. You will draft, you will share if you want to, and instructor feedback is positive and gently constructive, creating a supportive environment where writers at every level can take risks. Your reality provides the anchor; together, we will build the strange and wonderful ship.
What are the writing goals?
In this course, students will leave with the first draft of a new piece of writing that transforms a personal memory into a speculative narrative, along with a set of prompts and craft tools to continue mining their own history for extraordinary fiction. Students will receive gentle positive and constructive instructor feedback on work produced and shared during the seminar.
COURSE OUTLINE
Hour 1: Combine your memories with speculative fiction elements to create brand new stories. Learn to locate the fracture points in your own history where reality can bend, and apply magical realism, alternate history, and soft science fiction to personal material.
Hour 2: Explore the ways speculative fiction can create strong metaphorical foundations when you're talking about your lived experience. Use speculative elements as intentional tools to externalize internal conflict, then build strange and believable worlds anchored in the concrete details of your own life.
COURSE TAKEAWAYS:
- Learn to identify the fracture points in your memories where reality can bend, and choose the speculative genre that best serves the story.
- Use speculative elements as intentional metaphor rather than decoration, exaggerating emotional truths and externalizing internal conflict.
- Build strange, believable worlds from the inside out, using the specific details of your own life to keep the surreal grounded in authentic emotion.
- Complete the first draft of a new speculative memoir piece during the seminar.
- Leave with a toolkit of prompts for continuing to mine your own history for extraordinary fiction.
TESTIMONIALS:
"This was a great class. The pace and structure were excellent. Not too much info, while providing some really solid concepts that I had never heard before."
"One of the best classes I have taken. Clear, usable craft principles. What did I find most valuable? The need for an element of risk -- interior or exterior -- which is important for story impact."
"This class exceeded my expectations. A story worth telling includes risk & emotional extremes but needs balance between positive & negative emotions. Sage got these points across magnificently. Highly recommend."
"Sage is so welcoming and so gentle in her teaching. A lovely experience."
“Loved it!"
"This class exceeded my expectations! Sage was extremely knowledgeable and thoughtful and provided meaningful feedback."
"A lovely atmosphere and a great mix of learning from examples and prompt work. Thanks!”
“It was the perfect, chill way to close out the weekend, and I left with workable drafts and many ideas.”
"I loved the number and quality of the in-class prompts."
"The instructor was lovely, encouraging, ehtusiastic and the information well-chosen, and I appreciated her suggestions for exercises."
“When Sage Tyrtle talks, people don’t just listen. They hang on her every word.” – Toronto Star
“As each of us feels more comfortable, we share intimate moments from our lives. It’s different from the stand-up I tried, because, ultimately, success isn’t dependent on making people laugh.” – Now Magazine
“Thank you for giving us a night to remember. You are a true professional, gifted and talented. Thank you for inspiring us, making us think differently and pushing us to be better communicators. The feedback from all the participants was so positive.” – Wendy Kauffman, Vice President, Brown & Cohen Communications and Public Affairs
“We have received really great feedback, some people saying that this is the best session we have had at our KE retreats, so thank you so much for your engaging presentation!” – Rebecca Phillips Konigs, CAMH
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
Tuition is $99 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: Sage Tyrtle
- Begins Saturday, May 15th, 2027
- Class will meet for one live session via Zoom on Saturday, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM ET
- Tuition is $99 USD.