Moments in Time Writing Workshop

Dig into memories and begin to write stories by revisiting important moments in our lives, big and small, the lighter ones and the more difficult experiences. Talk about the writing process in each session, looking to passages from established writers to start the discussion. Prompts and writing exercises will jumpstart the writing process while leaving you free to write about whatever you choose. At the end of each session, those who are comfortable will share their work in a supportive environment. Bring your laptop or pen and paper and prepare to learn from and inspire each other and experience the joy of recounting our stories.

6 Sessions, starting Monday, February 26 (no class 4/1) •

1:00pm-2:30pm • Westchester Reform Temple • Course 12390 • $240

Finding Your Voice through Memoir Writing

Ever wonder what will happen to all those wonderful stories hidden within your photo albums and shoeboxes full of memorabilia? Here is a special way to share and pass down those memories, and create a forever gift to your family. By reminiscing out loud in class, answering provocative and probing questions, participating in group conversations to be recorded, and completing assignments each week, students will begin the process of organizing and presenting their life stories in writing. By the end of the course, students will have the start of a full memoir. Students from prior classes are welcome as we will be exploring new questions.

8 Sessions, starting Tuesday, March 5 (no class 4/23, 4/30) •

1:00pm-3:00pm • Westchester Reform Temple • Course 12388 • $240

Personal Essay Writing:

A Way to Make Meaning of Your Life

According to Socrates, “[t]he unexamined life is not worth living.” This course will help you not only examine your life but also write about it. We all have stories — good ones, funny ones, scary ones and unsettling ones. But what do they mean and what do they tell us about our world? Through writing about your life, recounting it, and analyzing it, you will find the wisdom in it. The personal essay — a form that calls on the author to take small experiences and mine them for the universal truths — is the perfect vehicle to teach us lessons about life. The instructor will prompt your writing exploration, gently supporting and encouraging you to prepare a short essay for each class.

6 Sessions, starting Tuesday, March 5 (no class 4/9) •

4:00pm-6:00pm • Online • Course 12389 • $240