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Intro to Memoir

Online Dec 10, Jan 7, Jan 14, Jan 21, Jan 28 (5 Tuesday Afternoons)5:30pm - 8:30pm Pacific$425Limited Spots

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Are you a natural-born storyteller looking to stretch your wings or a newbie writer with an itch to share a yarn of your own? In this five-week introductory memoir class, successful memoirist Laura Cathcart Robbins (Simon & Schuster, The Only One In The Room Podcast, Good Housekeeping) will help you dig into your past to excavate compelling personal narratives that only you can write. Then, she’ll teach you the foundations of creative nonfiction craft to structure, refine and polish the results.

stash-memoir-book-cover Through informative craft lectures, fun in-class writing exercises, illuminating examples and workshopping, you’ll find your story, develop yourself as a specific dimensional character, delve into scene writing, discover themes, hone dialogue and craft vivid settings. In addition to strategies for writing your memoir, additional topics include finding an agent and publishing your book. By the end of the class you’ll have a better understanding of your unique POV and have written a stack of moving scenes. Plus, you can bring in up to 1200 words every other class for feedback. Experienced and beginning writers welcome. Pulitzer not included!

37 students have published books after taking class!

Laura Cathcart Robbins

Memoir (Simon & Schuster), The Only One In The Room Podcast, Good Housekeeping, HuffPo

Laura Cathcart Robbins is the host of the popular podcast, The Only One In The Room, and author of the Atria/Simon & Schuster memoir, STASH My Life In Hiding, published March 2023. Her recent articles in Good Housekeeping, HuffPo, The Temper on the subjects of race, recovery, and divorce have garnered her worldwide acclaim. She is a Moth StorySlam winner and a 2022 TEDx Speaker. Her podcast, The Only One In The Room, was chosen by Bustle Magazine twice as a top podcast alongside This American Life and Slow Burn as well as Reader’s Digest and Screen Rant. Laura was originally a Writing Pad student. She has been active for many years as a speaker and school trustee and is credited for creating The Buckley School’s nationally recognized committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice. MORE

“Laura is great at making the classroom feel safe, making all students feel equal, and giving helpful workshopping feedback. Each student felt heard and understood, and advice was tailored to everyone's individual writing level.”
“Laura is one of the most phenomenal teachers at Writing Pad! She is the most invested and engaged teacher I've ever had. She was so generous with giving us ALL the tools we need to start a podcast. She gave us a wealth of resources and shared her experiences. She obviously cares about her students and the class, and it showed through her teaching! She's smart, honest, vulnerable, and hard-working, and her beautiful energy framed our experience.”
“Laura was welcoming to all and very positive and constructive when reviewing our weekly 1,200 words. She really listened to each student and was very specific in her comments on everyone’s writing. The class was super informative and inspiring.”
“She broke story building into a formula and took time to listen to each story and reflect back how to find the stakes, beginning, middle and end.”
“She was engaging and clear, the tips were great, her advice to those who shared was insightful and personalized but incredibly helpful to note for any storyteller.”
“Laura did an amazing job listening to our stories and really finding ways to strengthen the narrative. She helped define voice and set up great structures for our writing process.”

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