with Christine Pakkala
 
In writing, and in revision, we will examine choice in our memoir-making: what we have said and what we have left unsaid and why. We’ll consider each piece of writing through that lens of choice, and we’ll aim to revise with a goal of telling the most dramatic and emotionally true story, which is our gift not for ourselves but for our readers.
 
All feedback is given in an encouraging atmosphere. Our aim is to create a community of writers who support one another by practicing deep listening, compassionate responses, and thoughtful feedback. We recognize that writing is a risky endeavor and that sharing what we write in a workshop setting requires courage. As a community, we support one another in that endeavor by offering rigorous support and a gentle critique.
 
Workshop members are invited to bring up to five double-spaced, 12-point-font pages of writing to each session, including the first. Please note: email your pages to the instructor as well as the entire group. Please keep your word count to a maximum of 1,250 words.
 
Optional: Want an extra hour of one-on-one attention?
Christine will provide written feedback on either part of a manuscript OR a query letter for a total of an extra hour of consultation time. Please choose this option in the drop-down menu when purchasing this workshop. This extra time will be scheduled directly with the instructor.
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WHERE:
Online via Zoom
TIME:
7-9pm EDT
DATES:
6 Mondays
June 17, 24, off, July 8, 15, 22, 29
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LIMITED TO 7 STUDENTS
For more information, call 203.227.3250 or email info@WestportWriters.org
 
About the instructor...
Christine Pakkala is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop MFA (Poetry) and the Vermont College of Fine Arts (MFA, Writing Books for Children and Young Adults). She was a Fulbright Scholar (1994) in Helsinki, Finland, where she translated modern Finnish poetry. She taught 7th and 9th grade English at Horace Mann and has published essays in Salon, BrainChild and Serendipity and is the 2013 winner of the Ladies Home Journal essay contest. She’s the author of Last-But-Not-Least Lola Going Green, which was the winner of the Santa Monica Public Library's Green Prize, and a novel for teens, Jasmine and Maddie, which was a VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocate) Top Shelf pick and a Bank Street Best Book.

Christine is working on a memoir and the first chapter of it will be published this Fall as an essay in "The Seventh Wave", an arts and literary magazine.