Life Letters: Writing the Epistolary Memoir
ONLINE with Book Passage
Four Saturdays: February 14 – March 7, 2026
10:00 am – 12:30 pm Pacific Time
The epistolary form dates back to the ancient Greeks, though there’s been a resurgence in memoir and autofiction in recent years: Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Kiese Laymon’s Heavy, Victoria Chang’s Dear Memory, to name a few. We’re always writing to someone, whether we’re aware of it or not. We may be writing to a friend, parent, child, lover or ghost. By focusing on who we are addressing, the epistolary memoir brings clarity of voice and greater impact to our writing.
In this workshop, writers will explore how life stories can be told effectively as letters. We will consider how the epistolary form creates intimacy with the reader and sharpens detail, dialogue and scene. Class format includes readings, writing exercises, discussion and supportive feedback. This is a generative workshop. Class size is limited.
*Classes will be recorded and available to participants for a limited time.
Fee: $385
Register at Book Passage. Or call 415.927.0960
The Unsaid Thing: Silence in Memoir
ONLINE with Book Passage
Four Saturdays: April 11 – May 2, 2026
10:00 am – 12:30 pm Pacific Time
“It’s not the notes you play, it’s the notes you don’t play.” —Miles Davis
We come to memoir with a wealth of anecdotes and life experience. With so much to say, it’s easy to forget the power of silence – the unsaid thing in a moment of dialogue, the unspoken theme that shimmers beneath the page. These are moments that haunt our stories and create a lasting impression on the reader.
Where does silence live on the page? What can we learn about silence from poetry and the lyric essay? How does the unspoken create space for the reader?
In this workshop, writers will explore the role of silence in crafting memoir. We will consider how the unspoken impacts our stories and invites the reader in. Class format consists of readings, discussion, writing exercises and supportive feedback. Class size is limited.
*Classes will be recorded and available to participants for a limited time.
Fee: $385
Register at Book Passage. Or call 415.927.0960
I joined Connie’s Memoir Workshop to give myself a jump start and received much more. Her enthusiasm for my book concept, her skill with craft, and her creative approach to memoir were inspiring, supportive, and always instructive. I have rarely met a more gifted teacher.
—Nancy Hazen
Therapist, Writer
Connie’s workshops are where I began to write, before I knew I wanted to write, or whether I could write. That’s where writing got under my skin.
—Valerie Ann Leff
Author, Better Homes and Husbands
It was a challenge to write in the second person, to plunge into a dream sequence and to write a braided essay. Listening to others read their stories and participating in discussions inspired me to write about bees, ancestors and fresh tomatoes in copper colanders. Every daily observation suddenly became food for story.
—Donna Bruzzese
Therapist, Writer
The act of critiquing isn’t just some act of generosity. It is how most writers learn to write.
—Steve Almond