Summer Workshop Program 2023

This two-week intensive will focus on manuscript development for writers who have a significant portion of a memoir already finished, whether a first draft or a fifth. We will identify and develop structure, sections, recurrent themes, and consistent voice. You will be challenged to deepen aspects of the manuscript in service to the story and the meaning (two different things) and will leave with a clearer understanding of your intentions and how to support them in the making of a book. Class includes daily writing prompts, homework, and a selection of short reading assignments.
Check the materials list for what to bring to class. In addition, please submit the first and last chapter of your manuscript directly to Susanna (email ssiegel@fawc.org for her contact info) by June 20. Submissions must be in 12-point font, 1.5 spaced and EACH page must contain the author’s name and a page number. One month before the start of class students will receive an assignment of 2-3 memoirs for reading.
Sonnenberg-Materials-List-2022.pdfBiography
Susanna Sonnenberg is the author of two memoirs, Her Last Death and She Matters: A Life in Friendships, both published by Scribner and New York Times Bestsellers. Her creative personal nonfiction and reviews have appeared in a wide variety of magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. She teaches memoir and other writing classes online and in person from Missoula, Montana, where she has lived for 30 years.