Bronx Memoir Project Workshop: Writing the Self as a Character in Nonfiction

Mexico’s greatest female artist, if not most well-known, Frida Kahlo painted brutally honest self- portraits that reveal her psychological and emotional response to adversity and trauma. She was alone often, and, in turn, worked obsessively with self-portraiture. Her reflection fueled an unflinching interest in identity and her divided roles as artist, lover, and wife. What can writers learn from Kahlo’s relentless interrogation of herself? Is this kind of intricate analysis and reflection of self-necessary? How can it feed and layer our writing and our stories?

Creating the self as a character is a significant element of autobiographical writing. In fiction, characterization is a given, but what about memoir? How do we glean through all that material of the self and decide which details can be left out in one piece of writing, but are absolutely critical to the next? In this intensive we will discuss these questions and engage in deeply reflective activities to help you develop yourself as a character on the page.

About Vanessa Martir (Instructor)

Vanessa Mártir is a NYC based writer, educator and mama. She is currently completing her memoir, A Dim Capacity for Wings, and chronicles the journey at vanessamartir.blog. A five-time VONA/Voices and two-time Tin House fellow, Vanessa’s work has been widely published, including in The Washington Post, Poets & Writers, The Rumpus, the VONA/Voices Anthology, Dismantle, and the NYTimes Bestselling anthology Not That Bad, edited by Roxane Gay, among others. Vanessa is the founder of the Writing Our Lives Workshop, which she teaches in NYC and online.
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