Dear writers: I am excited to announce my June 12-13 online craft seminar with Amy Ettinger: “Structuring Personal Essays & Memoirs.” Both classes take place 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PST. June 12 is all about the personal essay. June 13 covers memoir. I will talk about pacing, structure, scene, a sense of place, voice and tone. Looking forward to seeing you there! Enrollment will be limited to 20 students per class. Sign up right here –– info below.
Craft Seminars: Structuring Personal Essays and Memoirs With Dan White and Amy Ettinger $100 for each session
About this Event
June 12: Essay
10 am-12 pm PDT
There are many ways to tell the same story. The choices can be overwhelming for writers. We’ll discuss how to structure an essay, from anecdotal ledes to circular essays to braided narratives. Writers will learn a variety of ways to turn their experiences into narratives that editors will be excited to publish.
June 13: Memoir
10 am-12 pm PDT
It can be daunting to think of telling your life story in 70,000 words. In this class, we’ll look at some of the most common pitfalls that writers face when beginning their memoirs. We’ll share concrete examples that will help you find your narrative arc, giving your book strong focus and momentum.
Dan White is the author of The Cactus Eaters (HarperCollins, 2008) and Under the Stars: How America Fell in Love with Camping (Henry Holt, 2016). A former Steinbeck Fellow, his work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Poets & Writers, the San Francisco Chronicle and Catamaran Literary Reader. He’s taught creative writing at Columbia University and San Jose State University.
Amy Ettinger is the author of Sweet Spot: An Ice Cream Binge Across America (Dutton/2017). She’s written essays and articles for the New York Times, Washington Post, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, the San Francisco Chronicle, and New York magazine. She teaches creative writing through Stanford Continuing Studies.
LIVE ONLINE CLASS THROUGH ZOOM! A few days prior to the seminar, you will be emailed the Zoom link.
This class is not recorded.