Poster with bold black text on a gray background that reads, 'The True Story: Fiction & Memoir Writing Class'.

Join us for this exciting 6 week course!

Saturdays, 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm

September 13th to October 18th, 2025

Hybrid In-person (in Hoboken, NJ) and online (Zoom)

A young woman with long blonde hair wearing a brown beanie and a black leather jacket, sitting on concrete steps and smiling at the camera.

Instructors

Shelby Wardlaw

  • M.F.A in Creative Writing from Columbia University

  • Short Stories nominated for Pushcart Prize and Best American Short Stories

  • Professor in the Writing Program at Rutgers University

  • More at www.shelby-wardlaw.com

Jason Gots

  • Author of the memoir Humanity is Trying (HarperCollins)

  • Creator/Host of Two Critically Acclaimed Podcasts, Think Again and Clever Creature

  • Teaching since 2020 in Columbia University M.F.A. Writing Program

  • More at www.jasongots.com

A man with glasses, a beard, and tattoos on his arm, smiling, standing in front of a bookshelf filled with books.

Course Structure

Week 4

Crafting Catchy Dialogue

Week 5

Playing With Time: How to Flash Back, Flash Forward, and Give Backstory Without Losing Your Reader

Week 6

Revision as Gardening, not Demolition

Week 1

Mining Memory, Finding Inspiration

Week 2

Building Believable Characters

Week 3

Memoir as Literary Fiction

Register

The True Story: Fiction and Memoir Writing

6 Week Course

$360

For all 6 Sessions

Limit: 20 students