Writing Life Stories helps people document their personal journey and share it with others. Students take this class primarily to leave a legacy for their loved ones and to know more about themselves.

Unlike memoir writing classes, students don’t need to write hundreds of pages based on chronology. A trained instructor offers priming questions to participants that evoke memories of pivotal events in their lives. Then students write 1-2 pages about carefully chosen themes. During the 4-week course, students write at home, return to class to learn more about the topic and read their stories aloud to a small, supportive group. Rather than offer critiques, fellow students give only encouragement.

This landmark method is based on guided autobiography, which has been taught at USC and UCLA for over 30 years and has been used with thousands of college students, professionals and retirees. Extensive research has proven that while on this exploration, participants gain increased resilience and self-confidence, compassion for others and a greater appreciation of their own lives.

About This Workshop

Come to Cafe Jax on the Upper East Side for this 1-day workshop (3 hours) on Writing Life Stories for $150. You will gain insight about how the process works, do a short exercise, write about a significant event in your life, and then share the story with the group. Confidentiality is required. No writing experience required.

Barbara will be offering Writing Life Stories workshops (1 day, 3 hours), Writing Life Stories I Classes (4 wks, 2-3 hrs per week) and Writing Life Stories II Classes (4 wks, 2-3 hrs per week) as well as Intensive Retreats (3 days) that will take place in San Diego and Palm Springs, CA.

For more information, contact Barbara@writinglifestories.com.

Workshop: Writing Life Stories

Writing Life Stories helps people document their personal journey and share it with others. Students take this class primarily to leave a legacy for their loved ones and to know more about themselves.

Unlike memoir writing classes, students don’t need to write hundreds of pages based on chronology. Participants write simply 1-2 pages each about carefully chosen themes. A trained instructor offers priming questions to participants that will evoke memories of pivotal events in their lives. After writing at home, they return to class to learn more about the topic and read their stories aloud to a small, supportive group. Rather than offer critiques, fellow students give only encouragement.

This landmark method is based on guided autobiography, which has been taught at USC and UCLA for over 30 years and has been used with thousands of college students, professionals and retirees. Extensive research has proven that while on this exploration, participants gain increased resilience and self-confidence, compassion for others and a greater appreciation of their own lives. Not to mention that after four weeks, students walk away with the makings for a small book or legacy letter.

Come to Yorkville Library for an introduction to Writing Life Stories, a brief writing exercise and voluntary sharing of this work with the group.

For more information, contact Barbara@writinglifestories.com.

About This Class

Come to Cafe Jax on the Upper East Side for Writing Life Stories I (4 wks, 1 night per week) for $350. The classes will be held every Tuesday in September, with a second session every Tuesday in August. The first session includes September 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th — the October session will include October 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st — from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Confidentiality is required. No writing experience required.

Barbara will be offering Writing Life Stories workshops (1 day, 3 hours), Writing Life Stories I Classes (4 wks, 3 hrs per week) and Writing Life Stories II Classes (4 wks, 3 hrs per week) as well as Intensive Retreats (3 days) that will take place in New York City, San Diego and Palm Springs, CA.

For more information, contact Barbara@writinglifestories.com.