Whether we are writing about a culture other than our own in memoir or fiction, what we know and don’t know is key to the process. 

 

In this workshop, we will explore, through our own writing and through reading excerpts: What it feels like when someone makes assumptions about us vs. what it feels like when someone really gets us. The ways in which our own cultural background and hidden biases can shape the way we write about “the other”—whether it be an imagined character or place in fiction or those we write about in memoir.

 

How can we develop our capacity to write respectfully and sensitively about someone or some place that differs from what is familiar to us—whether it be in class, race, gender, geography, family, dreams, fears, and challenges?

 

In what ways can we strengthen our writing to reflect insights gained from what we have done today?

 

Participants will have an opportunity to create their own list of things they want to explore on their own, and I will provide a list of resources for further study of this topic.