Grand Reunion of Longtime Sedona Stalwarts Professor Bennie Blake and Author James Bishop Jr.
Sedona AZ (September 29, 2015) – Starting October 6, at 10:30 am, second in a series of one-of-a-kind writing classes created by Bennie Blake and James Bishop will be held at Sedona’s Posse grounds HUB and will last until 10 November. Using class writings from the first class, focus will be on learning more about the writing process, the skills of creating and criticizing and learning to create memoirs in the ancient manner of Caesar, Civil War Generals, more recently presidents and more and now internet-weary people, too.
Proclaims Blake, long-time college English professor, author, and editor: “memoirs are, emerging as a splendid way to pass down a personal legacy, indeed they seeming to emerging as a personal and family responsibility”.
Whereas the first of these classes focused on people revealing themselves as part of family history the second class will take a different tack asserts James Bishop, Jr, “biography or autobiography tells the story of a life but a memoir focuses on single story from that life, a touchstone event, a turning point. Choosing which part of their writings so far will be a creative challenge, not making things up as fiction and drama writers manage to do but “making the most of what you have,” says Princeton Professor John McPhee.
In this class, we’ll take a close look at the writing and research skills needed to write a memoir or personal essay, and refine them over the course of the class. We’ll discuss how to best use essential literary elements such as detail, dialogue, structure, and description, as well as how to collect information through interviews, research, and other methods.
Participants will complete three essays, and will also be given optional shorter exercises that can later be developed into longer works. There will be substantial time spent on revision, that magical process that takes a pleasant anecdote and turns it into a breathtaking essay. Participants will receive personal feedback on their work from the instructor and feedback from other class members via Group Review sessions.
For more informatiion, contact Mr. Bishop at 928.300.1301.