Writing the Family Drama

with award-winning author Janice Weizman

Thursday, October 11, 2018, 10:30 – 14:30

The family is the site of our most intense and meaningful experiences. Love, manipulation, anger, jealousy, competition, loyalty, and much more, all play out in vital intensity within the framework of the family, shaping who we are and how we make our way in the world.

For a writer, this is fertile territory for narrative. In the medium of the written word, relationships can be revisited, neglected points of view can be explored, and the writer can delve into the aspects of family dynamics that are, for her/him, most urgent and significant.

In this workshop, geared for both fiction and memoir writers, we’ll look at stories and personal essays that take the complex world of the family as their setting. We’ll discuss the elements that go into the crafting of a Family Drama, as well as issues that may arise when drawing on our own memories, and most importantly, we’ll do some exercises that aim to provide structure and inspiration for those looking to further their own work in this genre.

Details: advance payment required of 390nis (drinks and kosher vegetarian lunch included); non-refundable if you cancel within one week of the workshop and your place cannot be filled.

Janice Weizman is the author of the award winning historical novel, The Wayward Moon (Yotzeret, 2012). Her writing, including stories, essays, translations and book reviews, has appeared in The Jerusalem Report, Lilith, Consequence, Queen’s Quarterly, and other places. A graduate of the Shaindy Rudoff Creative Writing program at Bar Ilan, she founded and serves as a Fiction editor for The Ilanot Review. She has taught creative writing at David Yellin College and The Writing Pad, and continues to teach and mentor writers in private classes and workshops.