Writing Personhood: for Adoptees (8 wks)

Course Description

We adoptees have had our identities erased since the moment we were surrendered. We have grown up expected to be someone we are not, and as adults we are now reclaiming our identities for ourselves by searching for belonging and identity, by healing the trauma that’s referred to as the primal wound. It's so deep that we don’t remember it but so real we could never forget it. Now more than ever, this touches everything we do and feel and are, but sometimes we don't even know how to put it into words. The goal of this class is to let out what has been stuck inside. Don't worry if you're not a writer. Don't worry about getting it right. Just come. First and foremost we will build a community of trust, and then we will shape on the page those parts of our stories that we've felt but struggled to articulate all our lives. We'll look at powerful essays and excerpts from adoption memoirs and study their craft. We'll have guest adoptee authors visit class and talk about their journeys as writers and adoptees. We'll also write from prompts, from our guests' writings, and from our discussions. We will discuss the boundaries of workshop according to Craft in the Real World (by Matthew Salesses, another adoptee!) and workshop our writing together thoughtfully and respectfully. We will leave with at least three pieces drafted and shared. Past guests include Nicole Chung, Yvonne Liu, Melissa Guida-Richards, Shannon Gibney, and others. NB: This course is open to domestic, international, and transracial adoptees, NPEs, and/or anyone who did not grow up in the biological home or was not raised by biological family and/or who experienced foster care. This course is not for first or adoptive families or siblings. Payment options: pay in full via Venmo to @Aimee-Christian, Zelle to my phone number (ask me) or pay $100 via Venmo to reserve your spot and we'll work out a payment plan that works for you. Past students, contact me for a coupon code for a discount to take the class again.

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