One of the most interesting things we did on the Clover Stroud memoir writing course was to share what memoirs had inspired us and think about different ways of writing about the things we wanted to say. It’s fair to say that nobody needs another: ‘It all started when I was born…’ memoir or an: ‘I got up, brushed my teeth, had cornflakes for breakfast,’ story. Our own lives are too short to be reading that slowly about other people’s day to day doings.
Thank you for this Katy, you have given me a lot of new (to me) books to add to my towering TBR! I have finally just begun Clover’s My Wild & Sleepless Nights, and I am hooked. I love what you say about our memoirs taking different forms other than words. It also made me think of Joanna Wolfarth’s upcoming writing workshop Picturing Mother about visual depictions of ‘mother’ xx
It wasn’t until I took a memoir writing course with Monique Roffey two years ago that I realised how much I read memoir and remembered how as a child I wanted to be an author, so much so, that my mum bought me an Olivetti typewriter as a Christmas present in 1970. I was 9. The course with Monique inspired me to start my Substack and try writing more regularly. I love Cathy Rentzenbrink’s book Write It All Down and her monthly writing sessions. I took a course with MsLexia on memoir writing which was outstanding.
Thank you for this Katy, you have given me a lot of new (to me) books to add to my towering TBR! I have finally just begun Clover’s My Wild & Sleepless Nights, and I am hooked. I love what you say about our memoirs taking different forms other than words. It also made me think of Joanna Wolfarth’s upcoming writing workshop Picturing Mother about visual depictions of ‘mother’ xx
There are just too many books! Not that I'm complaining. x
It wasn’t until I took a memoir writing course with Monique Roffey two years ago that I realised how much I read memoir and remembered how as a child I wanted to be an author, so much so, that my mum bought me an Olivetti typewriter as a Christmas present in 1970. I was 9. The course with Monique inspired me to start my Substack and try writing more regularly. I love Cathy Rentzenbrink’s book Write It All Down and her monthly writing sessions. I took a course with MsLexia on memoir writing which was outstanding.
Ah! I love Cathy Rentzenbrink, too. x
Such an interesting post. I love Maggi Hambling's work, especially her portraits - they say so much about a person.
They do. There's a wonderful one she did of Derek Jarman at his house in Dungeness which I love too. x
Thank you, more books added to an endless TBR pile, thank goodness for libraries.
My library pile is ludicrous at the moment!