Post #102 – Memoir Writing News – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Writing Memoir in Ireland? Here’s How
Women’s Memoirs is delighted to welcome Meg Eberle and Kaia Sand. Meg and I have been in contact over the past month in order to set up a date for a memoir-writing presentation. During our email conversations, Meg mentioned that she and her daughter will be teaching memoir writing this summer in Ireland. I thought, “How fabulous. Everyone should learn about this opportunity.”
Kendra and I know that we all get a new perspective on our lives and our writing when we get out of our usual routines, when we get out of our comfort zone.
So I persuaded Meg and her daughter to tell us a little bit about the experience they have planned. We think you’ll be interested. There is contact information at the bottom on this interview so that you can be directly in touch with them. Their registration deadline is quickly approaching, so consider talking more with them directly. Just do it soon.
Meg, why did you name this workshop Vignettes and Verses?
Meg Eberle: Memories are preserved in many genres. I have a background in journalism and Kaia teaches poetry. As a mother-daughter team, we approach memory writing from two generations and our wide experience in nonfiction prose and poetry. By opening up the possibilities, we believe people can find an effective way to write their memories.
Tell me more about where your workshop will be located.
Kaia Sand: Let me jump in here. We’re really excited about our approach because we’re going to be in two historic and fascinating locations. Historic Cork, center of Irish emigration in the 1800s, anchors the first half of the workshop where we will write and study within the Tudor Gothic quad of the University College Cork. For the second half of our course, we move to the remote Beara Peninsula with its colorful villages and beautiful sea.
We think the surroundings will inspire your writing just as it has inspired ours.
Meg, what made you select Ireland for your traveling workshop?
Meg Eberle: Kaia and I have made many trips to Ireland. The more we were there, the more we became certain that others would be as influenced by the sense of place as we were. So we let our experiences shape this workshop. The ancient Celtic landscape is peopled with stories that will coax your memories to the page. Cork, too, is the center of emigration in the 1900s, a rich historic source for many Irish Americans. By traveling, we leave our daily habits and can experience our memories with a fresh outlook.
Kaia, can you tell us a little more about how the workshop is conducted?
Kaia Sand: The mornings will be spent in class sessions and many afternoons will be free for independent writing and exploring the local culture. Irish guest lectures will enrich our experience.
Meg and Kaia, thanks for sharing information about this exciting workshop. A sense of place is one of the important elements in writing and I’m sure that everyone who participates will come away the richer for these experiences.
Vignettes & Verses: Write Your Memories Traveling in Ireland
June 14-22, 2014
Instructors are Kaia Sand and Meg Eberle
Register by Feb. 15 or sooner to hold your spot. Go to http://kaiasand.net/vignettesverses/
Meg Eberle & Kaia Sand are a Portland-based mother and daughter team who collectively offer many writing and teaching experiences, and the perspective of approaching memory writing from two generations. Meg is a journalist who specializes in biographical writing and teaches at the Multnomah Arts Center. Kaia Sand is the author of several collections of poetry and the resident poet at the Portland State Honors Program.
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