Spring 2025: Read: Memoir
Hello! Welcome to Read: Memoir Journey!
Together, we will explore the genre of memoir writing as we embark on our own journeys to narrate the stories of our lives. Our core text is How to Say Babylon, written by Jamaican poet Safiya Sinclair. In her memoir, Safiya describes the nature of her girlhood in Montego Bay, Jamaica, where she lived in her family home under her father’s strict Rastafarian views. Through her love of poetry, Safiya was able to establish a sense of self, freedom, and womanhood—defining who she was for herself and cultivating the courage to decide her own path in life.
Learning Objectives
- Explore the intersection of personal and cultural identity in memoir: Analyze how Safiya Sinclair navigates the tension between her father’s strict Rastafarian beliefs and her own desire for independence, and how this dynamic shapes her journey of self-discovery.
- Develop the narrative of resistance and empowerment: Learn to craft memoirs that highlight a protagonist’s struggle for autonomy and agency, drawing inspiration from Sinclair’s use of education, literature, and poetry as tools of liberation.
- Utilize family dynamics to drive memoir storytelling: Examine how complex family relationships serve as a backdrop for emotional conflict and growth, and learn to translate these dynamics into compelling narrative arcs.
- Incorporate poetic language and imagery into memoir writing: Study how Sinclair’s poetic voice enhances her storytelling and experiment with integrating vivid, sensory language to elevate the emotional impact and thematic depth of your own memoir.
Requirements
Coursework
- Read How to Say Babylon: A Memoir by Safiya Sinclair
- Complete asynchronous coursework
- Produce an original memoir-like piece that explores themes of identity and self-empowerment, reflecting on personal experiences and the journey toward understanding and embracing one’s sense of self.
- Complete 2 one-hour pair sessions per month
- Attend at least one Community Experience per month
Mentorship
You are in one of the following pair types. You pair type is listed on your GWN Portal profile.
- Type 1: Mentor/Mentee: Meet 2-3 times per month and, as a pair, attend one of the engagement events listed below at least once per month.
- Type 2 : Peer-to-Peer: Meet 2 times per month and, as a pair, attend one of the engagement events listed below at least once per month.
Engagement Types
- Journey Meetings
Submissions
- Produce an original memoir-like piece that explores themes of identity and self-empowerment, reflecting on personal experiences and the journey toward understanding and embracing one’s sense of self. (Due May 30, 2025)
- Record an audio podcast (optional)
Asynchronous Coursework
Complete each lesson in the the following course. As you progress through each lesson, make sure to press complete before moving on to the next.
- What is a Memoir?
- Exploring the Intersection of Personal and Cultural Identity in Memoir
- Courageous Storytelling in the First Person
- Capturing the Domestic Sphere: How Our Homelife Shapes Us
- Poetry and Imagery in Memoir Writing
Engagement Dates
Journey Meetings will be held via Zoom on the following dates and times:
- Saturday, March 15, 2025; 12-1pm ET
- Welcome; No reading due
- Saturday, March 29, 2025, 12-1pm ET
- Reading: Page 1-80
- Saturday, April 12, 2025, 12-1pm ET
- Reading: Page 81-164
- Saturday, April 26, 2025, 12- 1pm ET
- Reading: Page 165- 273
- Saturday, May 24, 2025, 12- 1pm ET
- Reading: Page 273-329
Please check the Announcements tab for information on upcoming live events.
Submissions
Link to
Curriculum
- 5 Sections
- 10 Lessons
- 10 Weeks
- What is a Memoir? (Available March)2
- Exploring the Intersection of Personal and Cultural Identity in Memoir (Available March)2
- Courageous Storytelling in the First Person (Available April)2
- Capturing the Domestic Sphere: How Our Homelife Shapes Us (Available April)2
- Poetry and Imagery in Memoir Writing (Available May)2
Instructor
