Telling Your Story: Writing Your Memoir Through Memory, Voice, and Meaning (In-person)
Spring (14 hrs or more) | Available (Membership Required)
What stories from your life are waiting to be written and shared? This course invites you to explore your past and write your memoir, focusing on the experiences, memories, and moments that have shaped who you are. Each session begins with a brief introduction to a central topic—such as memory, voice, scene-building, revision, and deciding what to include or leave out—followed by discussion and shared writing.
The course is designed for anyone interested in personal storytelling, whether you are new to memoir or returning to writing. Participants will write short pieces between sessions and share work in progress in a supportive, respectful setting. By the end of the course, you’ll have greater clarity, confidence, and momentum in developing your memoir.
This course will combine lecture with class discussions and readings.
This is an eight-session course (16 hours total).
Required Book:
- How to Write Your Own Life Story: The Classic Guide for the Nonprofessional Writer - Louis Daniel (ISBN-13: 978-1556523182)
Peter Adler
Peter W. Adler, a Dartmouth graduate, recently retired from teaching law at the University of Massachusetts and Vermont Law School. He has taught “How to Write Your Family’s Story” at Osher and is enthusiastic about being your Study Leader for this memoir course. Peter looks forward to guiding and collaborating with participants as they explore memory, voice, and storytelling, and develop meaningful personal narratives to share with others.