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Leslie Jamison
is the author of the novel The Gin Closet (Free Press); the essay collections The Empathy Exams (Graywolf) and Make It Scream, Make It Burn; and a critical memoir, The Recovering (both Little, Brown). She directs the nonfiction concentration in the MFA in Writing at Columbia University.
Master Class
Leslie Jamison
Online
Saturday, August 20, 2022
Registration is now closed for this class.
This class is sold out. To be added to the waitlist, please email megan@apublicspace.org.
Working with Personal Archives
It’s easy to think of research as an activity that happens when we write about other people’s lives, or archives as places we visit when we’re writing about people who are famous and/or dead, but the truth is we all have vast personal archives already at our disposal: old diaries, cell phone photos and videos, email and text threads, voice memos. In this master class, we’ll be discussing how to excavate and activate these personal archives to grant emotional nuance and visceral texture to our writing; to complicate the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. A text thread can help you remember the rhythms of banter that used to structure a friendship, or a random cell phone photo can summon the coffee shop you used to frequent at a job you hated; old recipe emails from a CSA can evoke the bittersweet last days of living with a former partner. We'll be thinking about how personal archives can prove fruitful to all kinds of writing—not only personal essays and memoir, but fiction and poetry as well. We will close-read a few texts that draw upon personal archives in inspiring or provocative ways, do a few brainstorming exercises together, and engage in a broader conversation about how to draw upon the layers of information and history we already have in our phones, hard drives, email accounts, and notebooks. How can these archives teach us about the messiness of our own emotional experiences, the sly deceptions of memory, and the layers of profundity that dwell inside "ordinary" daily life?
Saturday, August 20
3:00-5:00 p.m. ET
1 session
Online on Zoom
Where are the Master Classes and workshops located?
Currently, all Master Classes and workshops are held online on Zoom.
I registered but did not receive a link. What do I do?
You will receive an email from A Public Space one week prior to the start date, with materials and a Zoom link to join the class. Please contact us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you do not receive this email.
Can I receive a recording of a past or upcoming workshop or class?
No. The only way to attend a Master Class or workshop is live.
Is closed captioning available?
Yes. Otter.ai live notes are available for all Master Classes, and on a case-by-case basis for workshops. (If you are signed up for a workshop, please discuss closed captioning with your instructor.) To view the notes, look for the red LIVE dropdown menu in the top left of your Zoom screen and select View Stream on Otter.ai.
Are scholarships available?
Scholarships are available for all Master Classes. Scholarships are not currently offered for workshops. To apply, please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with the subject “Master Class Scholarship Application” and include 1) a short statement outlining your interest in this class, and how a scholarship would benefit you as a writer or a reader; and 2) a short bio. Scholarships are awarded on a rolling basis.
The Master Class or workshop I want to join is sold out. Is there a waitlist?
Yes. Please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to be added to the waitlist for an upcoming Master Class or workshop.
I signed up for a class but can't make it. Can I be refunded?
Full refunds are offered if requested at least two weeks prior to the start date of the class. After that, before the start date, we are able to offer a 50% refund. We cannot refund day-of cancellations, and we cannot refund or partially refund tuition once the class has started. Please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you need to cancel your registration.
But I signed up for a class after the cut-off point for a full refund had passed. Can I still be eligible for a full refund?
No. Please be aware of our cancellation policy upon registration.
I'd like to transfer my registration to someone else. Is this possible?
Yes. That is very generous of you! Please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Cancellation Policy
If you need to cancel your enrollment in an Academy class, please let us know as soon as possible. We can only offer full refunds if you cancel two weeks prior to the start of class. After that, before the start date of class, we can offer a 50% refund. We cannot refund day-of cancellations, and we cannot refund or partially refund tuition once the class has begun.