Every life holds many tales. Whether your life is wildly unconventional or relatively normal, there’s bound to be something fascinating about it. That’s why the contemporary memoir—everyday people telling their stories—has become such a popular phenomenon. A memoir covers an aspect of a life, whether it’s a short piece about, say, a bicycle ride with a friend, or a book about, say, your entire childhood.
To make readers care, your memoir must be told with the finesse of fiction. Here you will learn techniques for focusing your life stories, as well as well as writing craft and how to market your work.
Whether you seek to write essay-length pieces or a book, we’ll show you how to best tell the stories from your life.
A memoir is similar to a personal essay; both incorporate elements from the writer’s life. But a personal essay focuses more on the viewpoint, and a memoir focuses more on the story. Gotham also offers courses on Essay & Opinion Writing and an Intensive on Personal Essay Writing.
10-week Workshop
NYC Tuition: $435 (returning students: $405)
Online Tuition: $409 (returning students: $379)
Zoom info, tuition: $409 (returning students: $379)
Registration fee $25, paid once per term
One-on-One tuition: $1745 Request consultation
This course gives you a firm grounding in the basics of memoir craft and gets you writing a short memoir (or two) or a book. Course components:
Memoir Writing I is for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on the fundamentals. Students must be 18 years or older.
Tour an Online Class
Explore One-on-One Options
Program Certificate
10-week Workshop
NYC Tuition: $435 (returning students: $405)
Online Tuition: $409 (returning students: $379)
Zoom info, tuition: $409 (returning students: $379)
Registration fee $25, paid once per term
One-on-One tuition: $1745 Request consultation
This course helps you sharpen your skills at memoir craft and work toward completion of one or two short memoirs or a book. Writers often repeat Memoir II to continue their projects. Course components:
Prerequisite: Memoir Writing I (10-week), or the equivalent. Students must be 18 years or older.
Tour an Online Class
Explore One-on-One Options
Program Certificate
10-week Workshop
NYC Tuition: $435 (returning students: $405)
Online Tuition: $409 (returning students: $379)
Zoom info, tuition: $409 (returning students: $379)
Registration fee $25, paid once per term
One-on-One tuition: $1745 Request consultation
This course focuses on book-length memoirs, helping you sharpen your skills at memoir craft and work toward completion of a book. Writers often repeat Memoir II to continue their projects. Course components:
Tour an Online Class
Explore One-on-One Options
Program Certificate
Intensives are fun, fast crash courses.
Two-day Zoom Intensive
Two three-hour sessions on separate days.
Zoom info, tuition: $165
Registration fee $25, paid once per term
The Zoom Intensives are taught via the Zoom videoconference platform.
Memoir Intensive topics include: the contemporary memoir defined, character, plot, description, getting published.
Course components: lectures, writing exercises
Intensives are open for writers of any level. Students must be 18 years or older.
Students may reschedule a Zoom Intensive one time.
One-day Intensive
Seven hours in one day (with lunch break).
NYC Tuition: $165
Registration fee $25, paid once per term
One-on-One tuition: $300 Request consultation
The NYC One-day Intensives are taught in-person.
Memoir Intensive topics include: the contemporary memoir defined, character, plot, description, getting published.
Course components: lectures, writing exercises
Intensives are open for writers of any level. Students must be 18 years or older.
Students may reschedule a One-day Intensive one time.
