Denis Hirson
Memoir Writing, Part 2: Storytelling and the Opening Paragraph
Summary
This four-part series of reflective workshops on memoir writing, designed for anyone curious about exploring personal narrative, whether you’re just beginning or already immersed in the process.
In this 2nd session, Denis Hirson will explore: The memoir as an act of storytelling. The idea of memoir as a quest. What makes an opening paragraph compelling. The need to tell old stories in a new way.
The first half of each session is devoted to a brief talk interwoven with readings from several relevant memoirs. Denis also guides participants through short, gentle writing exercises designed to spark creativity and build confidence —no preparation or sharing required.
The second half is devoted to questions, discussion, and reflections on writing as a practice, hopefully opening a space that refreshes and inspires.
Note: Please have several sheets of A4 paper available for each session, as also something to write with.
Book referenced for this second session: Peter Schjeldahl “77 Sunset me”, in The New Yorker, December 23, 2019 pp 34-45. Trevor Noah Born a Crime Marguerite Duras The Lover Leo Tolstoy A History of Yesterday
No advance reading is necessary, though the books Denis references throughout the series are ones he finds especially valuable for those engaged in memoir writing.
Denis Hirson
Denis Hirson has lived in France since 1975, yet has remained true to the title of one of his prose poems, The long-distance South African. Most of his nine books, both poetry and prose, are concerned with the memory of the apartheid years in South Africa. Two of his previous titles, The House Next Door to Africa and I Remember King Kong (the Boxer) were South African bestsellers. Photo credit Adine Sagalyn.