Guest: NAIWE’s Creative Nonfiction Jennia D’Lima

You’ve lived through some harrowing, unique, life-changing, or otherwise fascinating events. You’re certain that a memoir is the best way to share these experiences and maybe even change someone else’s life or become their source of inspiration. But before you begin, it can be helpful to ask yourself a series of questions to determine whether writing a memoir is right for you. This webinar will use these questions to define what a memoir is and what it isn’t while also addressing an individual’s emotional readiness to share their story.

Here’s what you can expect to learn in this class:

• 5 questions to help determine whether to write a memoir

• Your readiness to share your story

• Reader expectations for a memoir

• What material fits in a memoir

• How to develop theme-based memoirs

Duration: 1 hour, 2 minutes

Jennia Herold D'Lima is a full-blown logophile. She joined her high school’s newspaper in ninth grade, winning statewide awards for her writing, and expanded her journalism skills by continuing to write and edit throughout her high school years and as a college freshman. While earning her BA in psychology (and minoring in cultural anthropology with a focus on precolonial Mesoamerica) and her MA in applied developmental psychology, her writing and editing naturally skewed toward all things academic. Writing for and publishing in peer-reviewed journals, editing papers for classmates, and writing parenting resource guides honed her research skills. Jennia joined multiple professor-led research groups and completed four internships throughout her academic career. After graduating with a master’s, she worked at a national nonprofit in Washington, DC, and as an assistant researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle. Jennia gradually transitioned to full-time editing. She enjoys traveling, volunteering, and taking creative photos of books and book-related items in those rare moments when she is not reading or editing.