I was asked to read from my autobiographical fiction to a group of foster grandparents. It was to prove how I started to teach memoir workshops.

In October of 1988, following upon the publication of my book of short stories, What Became of Them and Other Stories from Franco America, I was asked to read from this collection of autobiographical fiction to a group of foster grandparents. It was to prove how I started to teach memoir workshops.

It seemed good marketing to present to another group of people—potential book buyers. The reading would also give me an opportunity to send in a release to the local newspaper.

I accepted the invitation, but not without some hesitation. Might this group be too small?

Mary, the woman who coordinated the meeting, had told me however that, after my book program, she was confident many people in the room—Franco-Americans themselves— would want to hear the stories and share theirs. At that time, I had no mind to teach a memoir workshop.

I remember well that afternoon. It was to change my life.

After walking into the senior center and announcing myself, I was sent in the direction of the foster grandparents meeting. I proceeded down the hallway at the end of which was a door that I was to pass through.

The noise inside was the rumble of many people speaking as they were waiting for their guest speaker—me.

Hesitation

I hesitated for a moment before opening the door and wondered again if I had set myself up for a wasted afternoon. I was about to speak to a group of retired people in a community that was not affluent. Wasn’t I likely to hear, “Very nice book. Wish I could buy it but I’m on a fixed income.”

Mary had told me at what time the business meeting was likely to end and for me to come after that, saying they would simply be chatting if there was a gap time before I arrived.

Standing outside the room, the words a friend had once spoken to me rose in my consciousness.

“Do you know what is the most important presentation of your life?”

“No,” I answered, sensing setup when I heard one.

“Your next program,” he had said. “You never know what will result from it nor where it will lead to. Give your every presentation the best energy you are capable of.”

Remembering his words, I reached to the knob, opened the door, and stepped into the meeting room—little knowing that I was about to step into my future (which I had no idea would have me teach memoir workshops), but it would take me a while to understand what the future would be.

After the program there was a prolonged sharing of stories—so much so that Mary had to step in and call the meeting to an end.

“There are other people waiting to use this room,” she said.

More presentations

Several days later, Mary phoned me to say that she had another group of foster grandparents in another city. The demographics would be roughly the same as with my first group. Would I be interested in coming to present to this group?

“Yes, I would love to,” I said. I looked at my calendar and found a date when I would be in that city. The date worked for Mary. My press release went out again, not so much to attract people to the event as to alert the public that they needed to get their own copy of my fantastic book!

I spoke to the second group several weeks after Mary’s call and, after that day’s program, there was an outpouring of stories as people shared their lives and the lives of their parents. It was as if they had a great hunger to share their memories.

Ideas begin to churn

Driving home that afternoon, I thought, “Well, that was good, but this run is over.” Well, I hoped not, as I was already wondering if this vein of reminiscence could be tapped into. Perhaps I could devise some way to teach memoir workshops to these people.

As I returned home, the telephone was ringing. I answered it to hear Mary saying there was another group that she was working with and would I come to speak to them.

“I’d love to,” I answered, “but…”

My mind clicked to a thought of creating a story writing series. This might be my opportunity to teach memoir workshops?

Mary and I agreed I would come to the third site and then we would discuss how I might teach memoir workshops to her foster grandparents.

The Turning Memories Into Memoirs workshops are born.

The third presentation followed the lines of the first two. Great enthusiasm, great desire to share stories. When the director mentioned that I might teach memoir workshops and asked if anybody would be interested in such a series to learn to write their stories, many, many hands and up.

While I had taught high school English, French, and Latin, I had not felt at home teaching adolescents. I had done a fair amount of freelance writing, but I had never been able to parlay it into a decent income. On those afternoons spent with foster grandparents, I had found a vehicle to both live as a writer and a teacher. This was a marriage made in heaven.

I would like to tell you more of this story, but I will wait a few days before continuing it.

In the comments below but you please write about how you began to teach memoir workshops or do memoir work.