During three Thursday afternoons in March, people who would like to capture, in writing, a story from their life can take part in a workshop at the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library (BHML), 4 Oak St., Boothbay Harbor,  led by Barbara Burt, founder of From Memories to Memoir. 

The workshop will consist of three sessions on consecutive Thursdays from 1- 3:30 p.m. March 12, 19 and 26. During the three sessions, each participant will work on completing a story about one particular happening from their life. There will be time to write during the sessions, but participants will also be encouraged to continue their working on their projects between sessions. Sharing written work, learning by hearing others’ stories, and receiving helpful feedback are all part of the workshop, as are a variety of creativity exercises and other games used to elicit detailed memories.

“We all have a life full of stories, but sometimes we don’t recognize the importance of our own,” explained Burt. “I firmly believe that everyone is a writer. If you can speak, you can tell a story. And your stories, which you may think are mundane, are fascinating to others.” 

Burt says that personal narrative, while specific to the teller, often has universal appeal. Her goal as workshop leader and writing coach is to help writers—no matter their level of experience—to shape and polish their stories for others to enjoy. 

“Memoir writing isn’t autobiography, it’s about finding those slices of life that illuminate an important relationship or event in one’s life,” says Burt. “Often we learn something surprising about our life in the course of writing about it.” The stories that come out of the workshop may be written for personal satisfaction, given to family members or friends as a sort of history, or offered for publication. No writing experience is necessary. (For more information on the philosophy behind the workshop, visit memories2memoir.com.)

Workshop enrollment is limited to 10. To sign up, call the Library at 633-3112 or send an email to director@bbhlibrary.org. There is no charge for the workshop.