Unlocking Memory and Shaping Experience
This immersive, deep-dive course provides inspiration and practical advice as you undertake a long-form memoir project. It draws on the resources and expertise of Granta magazine, a publisher renowned for nurturing some of the most influential and daring writers of memoir, and the expert guidance of an experienced writer of creative non-fiction.
Over six months, you will move from initial ideas towards the first 10,000 words of your memoir, exploring the possibilities the form offers, and your motivations for telling your story. You will examine the boundaries of the self and push at the limitations of the personal. In each session we investigate the debates around truth and reality that make this genre so rich, while interrogating the central questions at the heart of your work. We will look at hands-on techniques that will hone your voice, line by line, and encourage you to experiment with both structure and storytelling.
Alongside a small group of likeminded writers, you’ll look at the form of the memoir and stress-test your ideas against the elasticity of the genre: where does your writing sit in the intertwining mix of biography, history, travel writing, cookbook, ideas-led science and philosophy – and when does fact become fiction? Learn how to sensitively negotiate the debate around who owns a story; how to effectively integrate research and archival material such as images; and how to transform personal memory into relatable and readable scenes.
You’ll be given a free one-year digital subscription to Granta magazine, as well as access to curated extracts from Granta books, and the magazine, podcast and video archive. Throughout the course there is insight from guest authors and Granta staff.
Finish the course with a stress-tested outline, the first 10,000 words of your memoir, a detailed proposal to take to an agent or publisher, plus the confidence and resilience to maintain momentum with your project after the course ends.
Entry is by application to ensure you get the most out of the course.
Course completion opens up our Alumni Space, which provides ongoing access to industry professionals, including authors, Granta editors and literary agents.
Read more about the workshop here.