Writing Workshop: A Ticket to the Truth: Writing Personal Essay and Memoir (In-Person OR Virtual)
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You have the option of attending this workshop in-person at Thurber Center (91 Jefferson Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215) or virtually on Zoom.
ABOUT
In our lives, we are both always experts and novices. Personal essay and book-length memoirs allow writers to explore compelling, central moments, experiences, and material from their lives to communicate meaning, universal themes, and takeaways to readers, transforming experience into narrative art. What are the ethics of writing about others? We will explore conventions of the form, such as self-disclosure and deep examination, creating tension, character arc, using scenes and dialogue, distilling the “one big thing” your piece is about, and the blurry boundaries of fact and imagination in creative nonfiction—the only writing form defined by what it is not. Discussion questions may include: how do you maximize self-inquiry while avoiding "navel gazing"? What elements make stories engaging to readers? How do you craft a persona on the page?
By the end of the session, you will possess an understanding of personal essay and memoir writing fundamentals: honesty, self-reflection, tension, balancing scenes and exposition, distilling your memoir or essay's "about-ness" (i.e., theme), and what to include versus what to omit. Toward the end of our time together, we will discuss the process of submitting your essays for publication so readers can experience them.
INSTRUCTOR
Liza Monroy is the author of the novels The Distractions and Mexican High, the essay collection Seeing As Your Shoes Are Soon To Be On Fire, and the memoir The Marriage Act: The Risk I Took To Keep My Best Friend In America And What It Taught Us About Love. Her articles and essays have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, the L.A. Times, Newsweek, Poets & Writers, Marie Claire, Everyday With Rachael Ray, Jane, Self, Bust and various anthologies, including both New York Times' Best of Modern Love, Best American Food Writing, Goodbye To All That: Writers on Loving and Leaving New York, One Big Happy Family, and Wedding Cake For Breakfast. She lives in Santa Cruz, California, teaches through Stanford Continuing Studies Creative Writing Program, and in her free time enjoys surfing, reading, yoga, sunshine, and coffee. Liza was the 2012 John E. Nance Writer-in-Residence at Thurber House and is returning for another residency.
REGISTER:
https://www.thurberhouse.org/adult-writing-workshops-fall-2026
ABOUT
In our lives, we are both always experts and novices. Personal essay and book-length memoirs allow writers to explore compelling, central moments, experiences, and material from their lives to communicate meaning, universal themes, and takeaways to readers, transforming experience into narrative art. What are the ethics of writing about others? We will explore conventions of the form, such as self-disclosure and deep examination, creating tension, character arc, using scenes and dialogue, distilling the “one big thing” your piece is about, and the blurry boundaries of fact and imagination in creative nonfiction—the only writing form defined by what it is not. Discussion questions may include: how do you maximize self-inquiry while avoiding "navel gazing"? What elements make stories engaging to readers? How do you craft a persona on the page?
By the end of the session, you will possess an understanding of personal essay and memoir writing fundamentals: honesty, self-reflection, tension, balancing scenes and exposition, distilling your memoir or essay's "about-ness" (i.e., theme), and what to include versus what to omit. Toward the end of our time together, we will discuss the process of submitting your essays for publication so readers can experience them.
INSTRUCTOR
Liza Monroy is the author of the novels The Distractions and Mexican High, the essay collection Seeing As Your Shoes Are Soon To Be On Fire, and the memoir The Marriage Act: The Risk I Took To Keep My Best Friend In America And What It Taught Us About Love. Her articles and essays have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, the L.A. Times, Newsweek, Poets & Writers, Marie Claire, Everyday With Rachael Ray, Jane, Self, Bust and various anthologies, including both New York Times' Best of Modern Love, Best American Food Writing, Goodbye To All That: Writers on Loving and Leaving New York, One Big Happy Family, and Wedding Cake For Breakfast. She lives in Santa Cruz, California, teaches through Stanford Continuing Studies Creative Writing Program, and in her free time enjoys surfing, reading, yoga, sunshine, and coffee. Liza was the 2012 John E. Nance Writer-in-Residence at Thurber House and is returning for another residency.
REGISTER:
https://www.thurberhouse.org/adult-writing-workshops-fall-2026
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Where is it happening?
91 Jefferson Ave, Columbus, OH, United States, Ohio 43215
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherThurber House
