Advanced Memoir Workshop with Giovanna Iozzi

“It is not my deeds that I write down, it is myself, my essence.” Michel de Montaigne, The Essays

This advanced 12-week memoir workshop is designed for students who are developing or have written longer sections of material for a book-length memoir or life writing project.

You might be a writer who is a good way into a project, wanting to see how your writing lands with a group of invested readers. You might have lots of material but are exploring ways to shape it, perhaps looking for a ‘through line’ to bring thematic structure to your narrative.

The course will suit writers who are used to a workshop structure where giving and receiving feedback after close reading are intrinsic parts of the group ethos and expectations. New students keen to workshop material are welcome to this class, along with previous students of Giovanna's who have more material to work with or a theme they want to explore in a longer form.

The focus of the course will be on you and your work. All aspects feed into your project, whether that’s warming up with writing prompts, sharing snippets and inspiring discussion; exchanging work in pairs or threes; or checking in with each other as writing buddies outside class times. You’ll have the option to upload work to a private, shared Google doc if you feel comfortable doing so. And you’ll receive bespoke feedback – both verbal and written - from Giovanna and your fellow student writers.

Areas of focus likely to emerge naturally from our workshops include structural, ethical, and stylistic challenges, alongside issues of narrative arc, voice, tone and pacing. You'll be encouraged to ask questions which focus your readers in advance, and help streamline the feedback you receive.

We are excited to offer this new advanced course, designed to help bring coherence to your memoir and support you as you take it to the next level.

Brand new course, student testimonials coming in Jan 2027

Our tutor Giovanna says...

Listening to the students' work, whether it’s joyful, funny, dark or heart breaking is a real privilege. As my own writing is highly autobiographical, I feel as if we are on similar writing journeys, exploring our way in the dark mostly, warmly lit by each others’ support. We all gain so much from exploring and engaging with the memoir form in class together; the insights and ideas which emerge are illuminating.