What should we do when we have the urge to write our stories, but we can’t figure out how or where to start? This interactive craft class will provide a strategy—start small—and lots of examples. Visiting Writer Beth Ann Fennelly will share ten things she’s learned from writing tiny texts, then turn class attention to her favorite short form, the micro-memoir. Combining the extreme brevity of poetry, the narrative arc of fiction, and the truth-telling of creative nonfiction, the micro-memoir is an exciting hybrid that transforms small, overlooked moments into powerful evocations. This hybrid form is also unusually user-friendly, especially for writers who feel overwhelmed or intimidated when faced with telling their truths. We’ll end with a writing prompt and time to share our work.
We’re also excited to welcome Beth Ann in performance with singer-songwriter Claire Holley on the evening of June 10. Details coming soon.
Beth Ann's visit is supported in part by a grant from the Amazon Literary Partnership.
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Beth Ann Fennelly, Poet Laureate of Mississippi from 2016-2021, teaches in the MFA Program at the University of Mississippi where she is a four-time teaching award winner. She’s received grants from the N.E.A., the United States Artists, the Academy of American Poets, and a Fulbright to Brazil. Her work has won a Pushcart Prize and three times been included in The Best American Poetry Series. Fennelly has published three poetry books: Open House, Tender Hooks, and Unmentionables, and a book of nonfiction, Great with Child, all published with W. W. Norton. A novel she co-authored with her husband, Tom Franklin, called The Tilted World, was published by HarperCollins. Her sixth book, Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs (W. W. Norton), was named an Atlanta Journal Constitution Best Book, a Goodreaders Favorite for 2017, and the winner of the Housatonic Book Prize. Her new book is The Irish Goodbye: Micro-Memoirs. Fennelly and Franklin live in Oxford with their three children.
Jamie joins us for our 2026 Visiting Writers Series. Welcome!
