Guided Autobiography Workshop: Writing About Crafts and Crafting

Some of us create jewelry, weave textiles, engage in woodworking, scrapbook, knit, or quilt. In an era of the mass-produced, this workshop explores the value and impact of the handmade. It considers the values inherent in crafting and the role it plays in our lives.

In this workshop we will explore how to write about the crafts that we engage in. Using the Guided Autobiography method, participants will generate three pages of writing about the impact and meaning of their chosen craft in their lives.

Guided Autobiography is a proven method of helping people of all ages and backgrounds capture and share their life stories. During this workshop, prompts and in-class exercises will be used to stimulate the free flow of ideas; work will be shared in a mutually supportive environment. No previous writing experience is required.

What is Guided Autobiography?
Guided Autobiography is a method for helping people document their life stories. It was developed over 40 years ago by James Birren Ph.D., founding dean of the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. A pioneer in gerontology research, Dr. Birren’s work is carried on through the Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies, which trains instructors worldwide.

About the Instructor
Julie Feibush’s career has spanned professional writing, research, and editing in many forms. As a certified Guided Autobiography instructor, Julie turns her lifelong interest in the craft of writing towards helping others cultivate their own writing practice through guided autobiography.

This event is part of the 2024 NEA Big Read – an initiative designed to broaden our imaginations and understanding of our world, our neighbors, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. The featured book Circe by Madeline Miller retells a Greek story from the eponymous heroine’s point of view, giving voice to a lesser goddess of Homer’s The Odyssey. Please visit PenningtonLibrary.org/2024BigRead for a full calendar of events and more information.

NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.