The Good Readers Club 3: November (Life Writing/Sense of Self)

With Hannah Boursnell

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Have you ever read a line of writing so exquisite that it stopped you in your tracks?

Prose so perfect it changed the way you think or feel?

Have you ever wondered how such literary alchemy was achieved?

And if you might ever – one day – be able to do the same...?

They say that to be a good writer, you must read widely. But there’s reading and then there’s reading. Really reading. Slowly, thoughtfully, and with an open, curious mind.

In my friendly, guided discussion group, we’ll be deep-diving into short pieces by different writers – masters of their craft – in order to analyse their technique and demystify the intangible (or is it?) magic that makes their work come alive on the page and linger in the imagination.

Just like in your regular book club, we’ll chat about what we like and don’t like and learn from each other’s insights into the text. Unlike in your regular book club, you’ll come away with practical ideas you can implement into your own writing. (And a handout.)

Over three months, beginning in October, we’ll be focusing on life writing, using essays and short extracts from memoirs to explore various aspects of the form.

• Session 1 (Saturday, 12th October, 1.30-3.30): SENSE OF PLACE

How do writers evoke the times and places that are most meaningful to them?

Extracts: A Flat Place, Noreen Masud / Just Kids, Patti Smith

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• Session 2 (Saturday, 9th November, 1.30-3.30): SENSE OF SELF

How do writers use their most challenging, personal experiences to find their voice?*

Extracts: A Woman’s Story, Annie Ernaux / Crying in H Mart, Michelle Zauner

• Session 3 (Saturday, 7th December, 1.30-3.30): SENSE OF HUMOUR

How – and why – do writers use comedy to connect with readers?

Essays by Samantha Irby (‘Into the Gross’) and Nora Ephron (‘I Hate My Purse’)

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Material will be circulated to attendees ahead of each session, so do be prepared to do a small amount of advance reading to get the most out of each session. Ticket sales close one week before each session to allow all confirmed attendees time to read the material.

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These workshops will be hosted by associate and freelance editor . Hannah has (nearly) twenty years' experience in publishing, including fifteen years in-house – most recently as non-fiction Editorial Director at Little, Brown Book Group. Now freelance, Hannah provides editorial services to UK publishers and literary agents, including Penguin, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Hachette and Curtis Brown Creative, and also works directly with writers.

*Content warning: life writing often explores difficult or traumatic personal experiences and the extracts circulated across these sessions may touch on those. Attendees should be aware that in the ‘Sense of Self’ session, the featured writers both explore themes around loss and grief, and the discussion will, in part, consider how they have tackled these difficult topics.

Host or Publisher The Writers Workshop