Writing Workshops

Memoir 101 with Rax King

$345

4 Sessions

Out of stock

Once a week Wednesdays, 6:00 pm EDT - 8:00 pm EDT February 4 to February 25, 2026

The Center for Fiction

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This writing workshop is now sold out. Please email [email protected] to join the waitlist—and become a member for early access to future programming.

New to personal writing? Self-conscious about “navel-gazing”? Together, we’ll dig into the timeless art of writing about yourself without boring everybody else. We’ll read excerpts from my favorite memoirs, discuss the craft peculiarities of personal and confessional writing, and do several generative exercises together that will help you get some momentum on your own projects.

Course Outline:

Week One: Committing to Truth. Managing the potential ethical pitfalls of a memoir project, as well as the pitfalls of your own faulty memory. (Reading from Mary Karr)
Week Two: Excavating a Voice. How to make your writing sound like you on your best, smartest day. (Readings from George Orwell, Max Wolf Valerio, and Rene Ricard)
Week Three: Writing Human Beings. Using description, dialogue, and attention to detail to make your characters as rich and lively on the page as they are in real life. (Readings from David Sedaris and Samantha Irby)
Week Four: Drafting, Revision, and Publication. How to force yourself to make meaningful changes in a draft you’ve become attached to; plus, answers to common questions about the business side of writing memoir. (Readings from Rax King and Tony Tulathimutte)

Level: Beginner/Intermediate

This course is held in person at The Center for Fiction.

Led by

Rax King

Rax King

Rax King is the James Beard award-nominated author of the essay collections Tacky and Sloppy and co-host of the podcast Low Culture Boil. Her writing can be found in the New York Times, the Cut, Bon Appétit, and elsewhere. She lives in Brooklyn with her toothless Pekingese.

About this series

Writing Workshops

We strive to make our classes the most inviting and rewarding available, offering an intimate environment to study with award-winning, world-class writers. Each class is specially designed by the instructor, so whether you’re a fledgling writer or an MFA graduate polishing your novel, you’ll find a perfect fit here.

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