The 1,000-Word Memoir Writing Workshop
with Anne Bokma

The focus of the two-hour workshop is to illustrate the key elements that make for writing a short memoir piece of 1,000 words, from picking the best story to write from your life, crafting compelling opening lines, illustrating transformation, overcoming four common roadblocks, the effective use of dialogue in short pieces, how to tell the truth without upsetting the people you care about, the importance of a satisfying conclusion and more. The workshop includes four exercises/prompts that will see participants spending at least a half an hour in writing time during the workshop. Everyone will have at least selected a story from their life to write about and will complete the opening of their story (and share it in the group).

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Anne Bokma is an award-winning journalist and author of My Year of Living Spiritually: One Woman's Secular Quest for a More Soulful Life, published by Douglas & McIntyre, which won the 2020 Hamilton Literary Award for Nonfiction. She received the City of Hamilton's Arts Award for Established Writers and is a popular memoir writing coach, columnist at The Hamilton Spectator, and travel writer. Anne founded the 6-Minute Memoir “speed storytelling for a cause,” raising about $70,000 for local charities. Her articles have appeared in major Canadian publications and newspapers including The Toronto Star, The Hamilton Spectator, Canadian Living, More Magazine, Best Health, Today’s Parent, MoneySense, Chatelaine and others.

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Anne is facilitating the workshop, The 1,000-Word Memoir Writing Workshop, on Saturday morning September 14, at 10 am.