This class will examine the problem of memory by drawing on a blend of literature, art, and neuroscience in order to grapple with the question of how one selects, recounts, and handles moments of imperfect memory in the writing of memoir. Often, the stakes of these moments are high and various conflicting versions of a story exist. Did it really happen that way? Why do the witnesses disagree, and what does this mean for how I tell the story? At the heart of the issue is the question, “How does the memoirist acknowledge the flawed nature of memory while constructing a reliable narrative persona?”

The instructor will discuss the difference, both in neurobiological terms and literary ones, between “objective truth” and “narrative truth,” and reveal ways in which the writer can help a reader (and is, indeed, obligated to) understand the difference between the two. Well-known scandals and shifting trends within the genre will be discussed, and participants will come away with a variety of best practices for handling reconstructed memories and the impacts of these moments on the larger course of a developing memoir.

TAKE THIS CLASS IF

You’re working on a memoir and have hit the limit of what you remember.
You’re looking for practices for reconstructing memories that you know won’t be perfect.
You want to avoid some of the common missteps made by memoir writers in the past.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT RACHEL’S CLASSES

“The workshop was incredible and enlightening from a very refreshing viewpoint!”
“I rarely rate everything “excellent”….but this class deserved it.”
“Rachel was so engaging and presented so much useful material that I could have listened to her for 3 more hours.”

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Rachel Starnes is the author of the critically-acclaimed memoir The War at Home: A Wife’s Search for Peace and Other Missions Impossible. She received her MFA in Creative Nonfiction from California State University, Fresno and her BA from the University of Texas. Her essays have appeared in The Colorado Review, Front Porch Journal, and O Magazine. Born in Austin, Texas, she has lived in Scotland, Texas, Saudi Arabia, Florida, California, and Nevada.