Self-Discovery Through Memoir with Deborah Taffa – G25080403
If you weren’t frightened by what others might think, what story would you tell? In this class, we’ll explore the act of ethical remembering, how to create characters out of your people, and how to build a persona for yourself. Through close readings, craft lessons, and discussion, we will explore your subjective lens, the role of fear and honesty in memoir, and the importance of honoring your nesting dolls and/or former selves. We’ll examine the impulse (and pitfalls) of cautionary tales and discuss the role of counterintuitive insights in finding greater contexts for your story.
Instructor
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Deborah TaffaDeborah Taffa is the director of the MFACW Program at the IAIA in Santa Fe, NM. Her memoir Whiskey Tender was a 2024 National Book Award finalist. It was named a Top Ten Book of 2024 by The Atlantic, Time, Audible, Esquire, Elle, Publisher’s Weekly and other outlets. Taffa is a 2024 NEA Fellow, a 2022 winner of the PEN/Jean Stein Grant, and has received fellowships from Tin House, MacDowell, and the NY State Summer Writers Institute. A graduate of Iowa City’s MFA in Nonfiction Program, she is member of Laguna Pueblo and the Kwatsaan Yuma Indian Nations. She lives in Santa Fe, NM, with her husband, Simone, who hails from Milan, Italy. Her writing reflects both her roots and her wings.