Fall 2026 Nonfiction Workshop

Turning People into Words: Building Characters in Personal Narrative

with Left Margin Lit

​

Dates: Saturdays, September 19 - October 10 2026

Time: 10am-12pm (Pacific Coast Time)

Format: Zoom

Ages: Adult

 

Class Description: Personal writing requires transforming real life people — the self, family, friends, strangers — into characters on the page. It's no easy task: humans are contradictory, ever-changing, and only partially knowable. So how do writers capture this complexity and build vivid, nuanced, and unforgettable characters in personal essay and memoir? In this generative workshop (open to all levels of experience), we’ll read exemplary works of personal writing to tease out craft techniques used to construct characters. Each week, we’ll practice writing about the people in our own lives. Participants will engage in weekly exercises, share work and receive feedback. This class is an opportunity to further develop a work-in-progress, or start something new, while building community with fellow nonfiction writers.

​

CLICK FOR MORE INFO or TO ENROLL