Memoir Writing - Angela Foster (4 programs)
Angela Foster will teach a total of four memoir-writing sessions: three 1 1/2 hour workshops, one each at the Cottonwood Library (May 16, 4 - 5:30 pm), Tracy Library (May 17, 4 - 5:30 pm) and Boulder Estates Senior Living (May 17, 10 - 11:30 am). On Saturday, May 18, she will lead a more in-depth 4-hour session (9am - 1pm) at the Marshall Library. Angela Foster is a poet and memoirist who teaches creative writing at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. Angela received a Loft Literary Center Excellence in Teaching Award and a writing residency at the Madeline Island School of the Arts in July 2017. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative nonfiction. With her sister, author Candace Simar, she wrote Farm Girls, a book of poems and essays about growing up in Minnesota.
26 participated
Attendees will learn the basics of memoir and the details that bring them to life. They will leave with works in progress. We hope that attendees will begin to look at their lives with a more critical and research mindset regarding topics related to where they live and will recognize that individual lives contribute to the fabric of the community as much as those in power and who are more well-known. Confidence in memoir writing will encourage writers to try a different style of writing and to continue honing their craft. More interest in local and regional history. In the short term, attendees will develop vignettes, brief bios or fully developed memoirs that they will hopefully share with the community. Since Lyon County will be celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2020 and Marshall's 150th in 2022, we hope this will be a stepping stone to gathering and preserving more stories from the community and the possibility of publishing some of them for the sesquicentennial. Participant evaluations and anecdotal responses will be collected.
From the staff member who hosted Angela at Boulder Estates: "Angela was a big hit at Boulder Estates! We had twelve residents attend her memoir writing workshop. Angela walked the group through a little of her writing process and how to dig deep in your mind to remember details from perhaps as far back as childhood. The residents enjoyed answering such questions as, "Did you earn an allowance as a kid and if so, how did you spend it?" and, "What did your family do to earn a living?" At the end of the session one woman remarked that she would, "not be attending any events for residents at Boulder Estates for some time" because she would be busy working on her memoir. It was fun to hear the residents discuss their writing prompts and compare stories from their childhood." Other comments: "Sometimes I feel like I don't have a 'big story' to share, but today I see there are wonderful stories even in 'boring' lives." "The workshop helped my by providing the foundation of a memoir. . . It is now more imaginable and not overwhelming to think about sharing my moments & turning points with others thru my passion for writing." "My ideas have grown with the writing prompts and the discussions . . . You have given me ideas to bring to my local library to support writers in the community. "From the library's viewpoint, we would have liked higher attendance, especially in Cottonwood and Tracy, but those who did attend confirmed that there is a need and an appreciation for writing workshops in our area. Feedback provided ideas for future workshops and other ways to support writers. Collaborating with Boulder Estates was also notable, and will pave the way for future opportunities for gathering community stories.
Tracy Library, Friends of the Marshall Lyon County Library, Boulder Estates, KMHL Radio, Marshall Independent, Lyon County Museum [6]