Creative non-fiction, essay, memoir
Madrid, Spain
May 2025
When Stephanie Land penned her essay “I spent 2 years cleaning big houses – what I saw makes me never want to be rich,” for Vox, she never thought it was going to net her a book deal, and later, a Netflix series. Same can be said for Lauren Hough, the author of the essay collection Leaving Isn’t The Hardest Thing— the collection that came out of her viral Huffington Post essay “I Was A Cable Guy. I Saw The Worst Of America.” And while this kind of success with agents and publishers is by no means guaranteed, what is guaranteed is that it’s the best place for somebody to start writing stories about their life — you don’t need a fancy degree, a privileged background, or connections in the media to write and publish an essay that can jumpstart your career as a writer. All you need is a story that will resonate with your readers, a burning desire to share it, and—of course— some understanding of the genre.
In this workshop, each session will focus on one form of creative non-fiction: a personal essay, a humorous personal essay, a reported personal essay, a memoir, and prescriptive non-fiction. You’ll learn how to be an effective storyteller, how to “show” and not “tell”, how to edit, how to critique your fellow writers, and how to listen to criticism.
Session 1: We’ll learn about a personal essay, about the shapes it can take, as well as about how to separate the situation from the story, how to determine your theme, and how to draw a larger meaning from your writing.
Session 2: We’ll focus on voice and discuss ways to add humor into your writing.
Session 3: We’ll learn about how to build a memoir, how to choose its structure, what the difference is between a memoir category and a memoir theme, and how to find that universal theme that will resonate with your readers.
Session 4: We’ll talk about reported essays and literary journalism, how to pitch them, research them, and write them.***
Session 5: Prescriptive non-fiction — we’ll focus on how to get a self-help book written and published and how to make it authentically yours.***
In one of those sessions, we will also cover the ins and outs of submitting, pitching, and publishing essays as well as finding an agent/publisher for your memoir.
*** Sessions (4) and (5) will be useful if you want to write professionally. If you're just interested in telling your story in a personal essay or a memoir format you won't need those session.
ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR (me):
Margarita Gokun Silver is an essayist, a novelist, a playwright, and a journalist. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, The Guardian, Oprah, The Atlantic, and NPR, among others. Her award-winning essay collection I NAMED MY DOG PUSHKIN came out in 2021 with Thread/Hachette. She holds an MSt in Creative Writing from Oxford University and was a 2023 writer-in-residence at the Gladstone Library.
DATES & TIME:
May 19, 21, 23, 26, 28, 2025
11am-1pm
LOCATION:
TBA, central Madrid
COST:
Sessions 1-5 — 300 euros
Sessions 1-3 — 250 euros
Only 8 spaces are available. Minimum 6 participants. Please reserve your spot by filling out a contact form here.
In this workshop, each session will focus on one form of creative non-fiction: a personal essay, a humorous personal essay, a reported personal essay, a memoir, and prescriptive non-fiction. You’ll learn how to be an effective storyteller, how to “show” and not “tell”, how to edit, how to critique your fellow writers, and how to listen to criticism.
Session 1: We’ll learn about a personal essay, about the shapes it can take, as well as about how to separate the situation from the story, how to determine your theme, and how to draw a larger meaning from your writing.
Session 2: We’ll focus on voice and discuss ways to add humor into your writing.
Session 3: We’ll learn about how to build a memoir, how to choose its structure, what the difference is between a memoir category and a memoir theme, and how to find that universal theme that will resonate with your readers.
Session 4: We’ll talk about reported essays and literary journalism, how to pitch them, research them, and write them.***
Session 5: Prescriptive non-fiction — we’ll focus on how to get a self-help book written and published and how to make it authentically yours.***
In one of those sessions, we will also cover the ins and outs of submitting, pitching, and publishing essays as well as finding an agent/publisher for your memoir.
*** Sessions (4) and (5) will be useful if you want to write professionally. If you're just interested in telling your story in a personal essay or a memoir format you won't need those session.
ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR (me):
Margarita Gokun Silver is an essayist, a novelist, a playwright, and a journalist. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, The Guardian, Oprah, The Atlantic, and NPR, among others. Her award-winning essay collection I NAMED MY DOG PUSHKIN came out in 2021 with Thread/Hachette. She holds an MSt in Creative Writing from Oxford University and was a 2023 writer-in-residence at the Gladstone Library.
DATES & TIME:
May 19, 21, 23, 26, 28, 2025
11am-1pm
LOCATION:
TBA, central Madrid
COST:
Sessions 1-5 — 300 euros
Sessions 1-3 — 250 euros
Only 8 spaces are available. Minimum 6 participants. Please reserve your spot by filling out a contact form here.
Testimonials
Margarita's memoir class gave me the tools and confidence to shape my ideas into compelling personal essays. Margarita's supportive teaching style and constructive tips on publication helped me imagine new ways of crafting my life stories.
- Clare
*** A literary magazine published a personal essay Clare worked on during my workshop
Margarita is an amazing writer and great mentor. Her class was highly inspiration for me to embark on my own novel-writing journey. the class I took from her was about memoir writing, and I’ll never forget her first lesson: Write what you DON’T know. Meaning, fill in all those details that you may not remember exactly. I’ve taken it to heart ever since.
I think her editorial notes were spot on, and her teaching style is very organized and easy to follow. She’s got an easy-going attitude, and I never felt judged, which is what you want in a writing instructor!
- Amanda
Thank you so much for your guidance, advice and input during the workshop. It has helped me to move forward with my writing and given me more confidence in my abilities.
- Gary
Margarita presented the materials in such away that it was easy to absorb and understand. Margarita is funny and charming, and her style is conversational. She brings a lot of credibility, with her personal accomplishments and successful journey as a writer herself. I left the workshop feeling inspired, and with some new tools to use in my craft.
Another highlight of the workshop was getting to meet other participants and hear their stories. The other writers were highly engaged and encouraging of one another. It was all-around a positive experience.
- Novelda
