Irish & Irish-American Women’s Memoir

“The secret histories of things deserve to linger, to belong again to the coil of your hair I found once as a child, dried out by shadows, in a shut-tight wooden box.” ― Eavan Boland

What secret history of things would you like to write about? In this four-part workshop, we discuss memoir excerpts from four Irish and Irish-American women writers: Eavan Boland, Patricia Monaghan, Edna O’Brien, and from instructor Nora Murphy’s White Birch, Red Hawthorn: University of Minnesota Press. Each week, we will also complete scaffolded in-class writing exercises based on these readings. Optional writing assignments will be assigned. Participants who complete an essay by the end of the workshop, will receive written feedback from the instructor.

Materials: Students should bring a copy of White Birch, Red Hawthorn: University of Minnesota Press, 2017, available in the library, at local bookstores, and online. Instructor will provide the other memoir excerpts.

4 in-person sessions:  Saturdays at 2:00 – 4:00 pm on November 15, 22, 29, and December 6.
Course Fee: $150
Instructor: Nora Murphy- noramurphy582@gmail.com