Find the stories worth telling
Use prompts and guided reflection to move beyond broad life summaries and identify specific moments with emotional, historical, or personal significance.
Memoir Writing Workshops
Bring your stories to the page, together.
Based on Philadelphia’s Main Line, Main Line Memoir offers engaging, practical memoir workshops and co-writing sessions for individuals, private groups, and organizations. Participants learn how to uncover meaningful material, shape lived experience into compelling stories, and build a writing practice that keeps their work moving forward.
In-person programs are available throughout the Main Line and Greater Philadelphia region. Virtual workshops and co-writing sessions are available to participants anywhere.
What Participants Gain
Practical tools for telling meaningful stories.
Workshops combine thoughtful instruction with time to write and reflect. Participants leave with stronger material, greater confidence, and a clearer understanding of how memoir works.
Turn memory into vivid scenes
Learn how sensory detail, setting, character, dialogue, and action can bring the past to life without sacrificing accuracy or authenticity.
Develop voice and perspective
Explore the relationship between the person who experienced an event and the narrator looking back, and discover how reflection gives a memoir depth and meaning.
Keep the writing moving
Leave with useful exercises, practical next steps, and strategies for continuing the work independently or within an ongoing writing community.
Workshop Formats
Flexible programs built around your needs.
Programs can be offered in person throughout the Main Line and Greater Philadelphia region or virtually for participants anywhere. The format, subject matter, and level of feedback are adapted to the experience, interests, and goals of the group or individual.
01
Talk or Introductory Session
A 60- to 90-minute presentation introducing the fundamentals of memoir, followed by guided reflection, a short writing exercise, or audience questions.
02
Interactive Workshop
A focused three-hour program combining instruction, prompts, individual writing time, and optional discussion or sharing.
03
Full-Day Intensive
An immersive program that allows participants to explore several memoir techniques, produce substantial new material, and receive more extensive guidance.
04
Multiweek Memoir Program
A structured series that gives participants time to develop their work between meetings while building skills, momentum, and a supportive writing community.
05
Recurring Co-Writing Sessions
Regular in-person or virtual sessions centered on quiet writing time and accountability rather than formal instruction.
Memoir isn’t the summary of a life; it’s a window into a life, very much like a photograph in its selective composition. It may look like a casual and even random calling up of bygone events. It’s not; it’s a deliberate construction.
Questions & Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the memoir workshops for?
Workshops can be designed for beginning writers, experienced memoirists, private groups, families, libraries, retirement communities, alumni organizations, schools, cultural institutions, professional associations, and other community groups. The content and level of instruction are adapted to the participants.
Do participants need previous writing experience?
No. Many participants have stories they want to preserve but have never studied creative writing. Workshops provide clear instruction, useful prompts, and a supportive structure without assuming prior experience. More advanced programs can also be developed for established writers.
Where are your in-person memoir workshops held?
Main Line Memoir is based on Philadelphia’s Main Line. In-person workshops and co-writing sessions may be held throughout the Main Line, Greater Philadelphia, and surrounding communities. Programs can take place at a host organization’s location or at another suitable venue.
Do you offer memoir workshops outside the Philadelphia area?
Yes. Travel can be arranged for private groups, conferences, retreats, and organizational programs outside Greater Philadelphia. Travel requirements and related expenses are discussed when the workshop is planned.
Are virtual memoir workshops available?
Yes. Virtual workshops allow individuals and groups to participate from anywhere. Programs can include live instruction, writing prompts, breakout discussions, optional sharing, guided exercises, and structured time to write.
What is a co-writing session?
A co-writing session provides structured time to work alongside other writers virtually or in person. A session may begin with a prompt, brief lesson, or goal setting, followed by sustained quiet writing time and an optional closing discussion. The emphasis is on momentum, focus, and accountability rather than formal instruction.
Do virtual co-writing sessions really work?
Yes. There is something surprisingly powerful about writing together over Zoom. A scheduled session gives you a reason to show up, sit down, and focus. You make progress on your pages while forming a genuine sense of community with fellow writers.
Each session begins with a brief five-minute check-in, during which participants set a writing goal. Everyone then turns off their cameras and writes independently for 50 minutes. At the end of the session, the moderator brings the group back together to share what they accomplished, where they got stuck, and what they plan to work on next.
Can you customize a workshop for our organization or private group?
Yes. Workshops can be tailored around a theme, audience, occasion, or organizational goal. We can adjust the length, level of instruction, writing time, discussion format, and supporting materials to suit the group.
How large can a workshop be?
Group size depends on the format. A talk or introductory presentation can accommodate a larger audience, while an interactive workshop with discussion or feedback is usually more effective with a smaller group. We recommend an appropriate format after learning about the audience and the desired experience.
Will participants have to share personal writing aloud?
No. Sharing is optional unless a group has specifically requested a critique-based format and participants know that in advance. Participants are encouraged to write honestly while maintaining control over what they disclose to the group.
Can participants receive individual feedback?
Individual feedback can be incorporated into some small-group or multiweek programs. It may include brief comments during class, written feedback on selected pages, or optional one-on-one consultations. The amount of feedback is defined when the program is designed.
What does a memoir workshop cost?
Fees depend on the program’s length, format, group size, location, customization, preparation requirements, and whether individual feedback is included. Travel expenses may apply to programs outside the Greater Philadelphia region. After a planning conversation, we provide a proposal describing the workshop, deliverables, schedule, and fee.
Do you currently offer public workshops for individual writers?
Yes. Writing workshops, multiweek programs, and co-writing sessions are ongoing. Contact us to ask about in-person programs in the Greater Philadelphia area and virtual opportunities available from anywhere.
Can a one-time workshop become an ongoing program?
Yes. An introductory event can lead into a multiweek workshop, recurring co-writing sessions, a private writing group, or a longer organizational program. We can design a sequence that builds skills and maintains momentum over time.
Community Through Writing
Join us.
Whether you’re looking for structure, feedback, or simply a reason to sit down and write, tell us what you’re working on. We’ll help you find an upcoming workshop or co-writing session that fits.