This Time with Feeling!: The Sensory in Personal Writing

Tuesday, April 23

$100/ticket

$500/institutional or group ticket

3:00 – 5:00 PM EDT
2:00 – 4:00 PM CDT

The old adage of “Show, don’t tell” is a well-worn piece of advice in the writing world. But, for all its cliche, it holds onto its cultural power for good reason. Creating a strong sensory experience for readers is critical for immersing them in a narrative, but it can be challenging for the writer, especially within the realm of memoir and personal writing.

We all seek out visceral, sensory experiences–a delicious meal, a soothing massage, a nostalgic indulgence. In memoir writing, you have to harness these intense sensorial feelings and capture them on the page in a way that remains both unique and universal.

In this workshop, through written exercises, short readings, and open conversation, students will learn how to write about their personal experiences by drilling down on their senses in new descriptive ways. This workshop seeks to challenge, support, and empower writers of all skill levels in telling their personal stories.

About Rebecca Carroll

Rebecca Carroll is a writer, cultural critic, and creative collaborator. She is the curator and executive producer of the acclaimed live event and audio series, In Love and Struggle, which shares the experiences of Black women and nonbinary people through monologues, music, and humor.

Rebecca’s writing has been published in the New York Times, The Guardian, Esquire, Essence, The Atlantic, and the Washington Post, among many other national publications. She is a co-founder and Editor-at-Large for The Meteor media collective, a group of journalists, artists, filmmakers, and media leaders who believe in the power of storytelling to advance gender and racial justice and equity.