For seniors with a real-life story to tell! Author Jean Rae Baxter offers a six-week Tuesday afternoon workshop series for seniors interested in writing a memoir or family history.
Are you a senior with a lifetime of memories you'd like to share? You know you've got a story inside of you -- perhaps a memoir, or a multi-generation family history. Maybe there’s a key event in an ancestor’s life that changed everything for their descendants. Knowing how to go about telling that story is another matter. Should you rely on your memory, or must everything be fact-checked? Would it be best in print form, or would a recording be better? If these are questions you’ve been pondering, then this hands-on workshop series by award-winning author Jean Rae Baxter is for you.
Starting on Tuesday, March 21, at 2 p.m., Jean will meet with a small group of seniors for two hours each week and show how to create a narrative that people will want to read. You'll learn how to organize your writing project and how to write about your life experiences. The tools of fiction will help you make anything -- a special person, place or thing -- memorable. Be warned, though! You'll learn by writing, and you should expect two to three hours of homework each week. By the end of the sixth week (on Tuesday, April 25), you'll have a story to share with family and friends, and to pass on to the next generation.
Writing pads will be provided for those who prefer to write on paper, but anyone who prefers to use a laptop or tablet is most welcome to bring their own device. There is no admission charge, but seating is limited. To avoid disappointment, please register in advance beginning at 9 AM on Saturday, March 11. Please ensure that you will be able to attend all five sessions before you register.
Note: This is a repeat offering of the Telling Your Story workshop series held at the Sydenham, Isabel Turner, and Calvin Park branches in 2018 and in Sharbot Lake in 2019.
