Workshop: The Art of Scene in Memoir with Kristi Coulter
Workshop: The Art of Scene in Memoir with Kristi Coulter
4 Sessions: Thursdays, March 4, 11, 18, 25
6:30-8:30pm ET
Kristi Coulter
Kristi Coulter is author of the acclaimed memoirs Nothing Good Can Come from This, which was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award, and Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career, a King Country (WA) Reads and Slate Political Book Club pick. Her essays and short stories have appeared in The Paris Review, New York Magazine, Elle, Glamour, The Cut, and elsewhere. In addition to The Work Room, she has taught writing at the University of Michigan, University of Washington, and Hugo House. Kristi lives in Minneapolis, where she recently completed a novel called Album Tracks.
Rich, immersive scenes are the building blocks of memoir; in the words of Mary Karr, they are the route to making readers "feel zipped up in your skin." In this four-session workshop, you'll learn how to write scenes that balance the richness and propulsion of fiction with the rigorous honesty of personal narrative. We'll begin with a grounding in the elements of scene, then layer in ideas specific to memoir, such as dealing with memory gaps, weaving in present-day reflection, and blending scenes, "glides," and summary to cover swathes of time. We'll also talk about ways to keep yourself grounded in scene as the writer when memory or emotion threaten to pull you out. Each session will include some hands-on practice and experimentation, with opportunities for informal sharing and feedback.
Highlights:
The elements of scene, such as setting, dialogue, conflict, and point of view
Writing fuzzy memories both artfully and truthfully
Techniques for staying "close to the ground" when dramatizing challenging material
This class has 1 full scholarship. To apply, please fill out this form by Wednesday, February 24.
Kristi Coulter is an acclaimed memoirist, essayist, and fiction writer. Her most recent book is Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career (MCD, 2023), her memoir about work, gender, and Coulter’s twelve-year stint as an executive at Amazon, which Claire Dederer praised as “pure joy from beginning to end.” Her 2018 debut memoir Nothing Good Can Come from This (MCD Books x FSG Originals) was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award.
Coulter’s essays and fiction have appeared in The Paris Review, New York Magazine, Elle, Glamour, The Mississippi Review, DAME, The Believer, Alaska Quarterly, Columbia Journal, The Awl, and elsewhere. She has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan, where she held the Stephen Farrar and Roy Cowden Fellowships and won the Hopwood Award; she is also the recipient of residencies at Ragdale Foundation and The Mineral School. Coulter has taught writing and literature at the University of Michigan and the University of Washington Continuum College, and currently teaches at Seattle’s Hugo House.
