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Memoir Workshop with Kwame Alexander

The Art and Business of Writing a Memoir

With Kwame Alexander

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We are delighted to share that Kwame Alexander's Memoir workshop at our Center received an outstanding response. We received applications from 31 gifted individuals belonging to 16 different states, which reflects the immense interest in this opportunity. The selected participants will be announced on August 1, 2023. We express our appreciation to all the applicants who showcased their enthusiasm for this remarkable workshop.

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This four-day workshop will focus on both the craft of writing, and the nuts and bolts of publishing, with an emphasis on the memoir. This workshop is open to both emerging and established writers (18+). Mr. Alexander will review writing samples and letters of introduction before selecting participants. Each day of the workshop will consist of a morning seminar with a Kwame Creative Kickstart, a special Zoom guest, Business Q&A (everything you didn't know you wanted to know about publishing), writing time, sharing, and feedback. Participants will also have access to a meeting room for the remainder of each day, so they may convene if they wish. Breakfast will be included. The workshop will also include a ticket to an event where Mr. Alexander will read from and discuss his work. Participants will be responsible for securing their lodging.

 

Enrollment will be limited to 16 participants.

Dates: Friday, October 6, through Monday, October 9, 2023.

Cost: $750.

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Please fill out the form below and upload a Word or PDF file that includes two pages of original prose or poetry.

 

Applications closed July 15, 2023. 

 

For more information, contact Diane Giardi at dgiardi@cultural-center.org or call 508-394-7100.

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Kwame Alexander

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, publisher, and New York Times Bestselling author of 36 books, including SWING, BECOMING MUHAMMAD ALI, co-authored with James Patterson, REBOUND, which was shortlisted for prestigious UK Carnegie Medal, The Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor-winning picture book, THE UNDEFEATED, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, and his NEWBERY medal-winning middle grade novel, THE CROSSOVER. His newest releases are THE DOOR OF NO RETURN, book one of a new trilogy that is destined to be a game changer, and AN AMERICAN STORY. A regular contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. In 2018, he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded. He is the writer and executive producer of THE CROSSOVER TV series on Disney+.

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What are you currenty writing?

Please let us know in apx 750 words the following details about your writing.

  • At what stage are you at in the writing process?

  • What would you now like to learn about writing?

  • What are your writing goals?

  • What are you currently writing?

  •  Why do you want to do this?

  • Why do you write?

You must check the following boxes in order to submit your application.

Upload Example of Your Work

To be considered for one of three scholarships to this workshop, applicants should also upload the first two pages of their 2020 federal tax return (social security number redacted).

Upload Scholarship Requirement

New publication from Kwame Alexander

 WHY FATHERS CRY AT NIGHT 

A Memoir in Love Poems, Letters, Recipes, and Remembrances 

By Kwame Alexander 

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Millions of parents have welcomed beloved author Kwame Alexander into their homes as a trusted storyteller, with dozens of bestselling and award-winning books, and a new Disney Plus TV show, “The Crossover”, based on his Newbery-winning children’s novel, which he’s written and executive produced. Now, even more people will get to know and appreciate Kwame’s writing on a deeper and more personal level as he opens his heart in a powerfully intimate and non-traditional memoir.

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#1 New York Time Bestselling Author and Newbery Winner 

Little, Brown; Publication Date: May 23, 2023

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 “Kwame Alexander serves us morsels of memory, music, and mouth-watering love — not just love that sings and swings but also the kind that fractures and stings.” 

—Jabari Asim, author of Yonder

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“Kwame reveals how an everyday occurrence has profound emotion with the deft hand of a master. He tells his story and we reflect on our own. I cried, I laughed, I savored each word.” 

—Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author of The Islanders series

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“This book is a brave monument to love, loss, and life by a man whose cries in the night helped him to grow and grieve. On every page, Kwame Alexander's words compel the reader to examine their hearts and actions toward the ones they love.” 

—W. Ralph Eubanks, author of A Place Like Mississippi and Ever Is a Long Time 

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