Infusing Memoir Writing with Magical Realism
Magical realism blends fantasy with reality, and it can be used as a surprisingly satisfying plot device in your first-person writing.
Cost: $140 $112
Paid subscribers to Narratively Academy get 20% off all classes, including this one. Click here to become a paid subscriber today. If you already are a paid subscriber, email academy@narratively.com for the paid subscriber promo code.
Class size limit: 15
They say telling your story heals. But what if you’re blocked by elements in your story that you’re not even sure how to tell? Well, maybe all you need is a little magic.
Magical realism blends fantasy with reality, and though it’s a genre in its own right, it can also be used as a plot device in nonfiction to help emphasize otherwise complicated themes. It’s an especially good plot device to use in memoir, because it has this unique power to cloak otherwise heavy subject matter into fanciful and liberating tales without dampening their poignancy.
It’s why author and poet Jasper “Jaz” Joyner used it in their Richard Wright Literary award-winning work, Pansy: A Black American Memoir, a non-linear, episodic memoir that combines poetry, cultural criticism, and essays. Its magical realist elements allow the author to explore transness, queerness, racism, and other complex themes with a sort of levity that doesn’t discount their seriousness. The end result reads like a novel, allowing the reader to feel its themes in a way that is often challenging to do with nonfiction work.
This 3-hour session will explore how to incorporate magical realism in memoir by highlighting some of its most versatile approaches: personification of a theme or idea, poetic influence in tone, metaphor, and writing styles like biomythography (a term coined by prolific poet and author Audre Lorde), to name a few. After an interactive lecture exploring how magical realism can be used to emphasize themes, shift tone, or add levity, writers will be given a fun writing assignment they may use on their current or new memoir. There will be time towards the end of the session to share and workshop your writing with the author and your peers. Whether you’ve already begun writing your memoir, or it’s simply a seed of thought, expect to leave this seminar with several tools that will help your memoir writing process flow more easily; perhaps even more magically!
This is the right class for you if…
You’ve started writing your memoir and need guidance on how to frame certain themes or subject matter.
You would like to start writing your memoir, but are unsure how to begin.
You're excited to get feedback from a published memoirist and from your peers.
After this class you’ll be ready to…
Use magical realism as a strategic plot device to write about personal subject matter with a thoughtful balance of depth and levity.
This is a three-hour seminar on Wednesday, September 17 from 6pm to 9pm ET. All Narratively Academy classes are conducted online and are accessible to students anywhere in the world. This class will be recorded and shared with all enrolled students in case there are specific sessions you have to miss, but live attendance and participation is strongly encouraged.
About Your Instructor: Jasper “Jaz” Joyner is an award-winning Memphis-based Black transmasc author and poet with work in The Offing, Oldster Magazine, StopGap, Teen Vogue, and many others. Along with memoir ‘Pansy'—named one of PW’s BookLife Best of 2024, Quill Prose Award finalist, and the Best Young Adult Nonfiction at the 3rd annual Richard Wright Literary Awards —Jasper has authored the chapbook, ‘A Flamboyance,' and YA fantasy novel ‘Juniper Leaves.’ Their zine 'Worth the Wage' is set to release this fall with Microcosm Publishing.
“Throughout, Joyner’s lyrical syntax and open-book attitude bolster its anecdotes, which come together to trace an inspiring arc toward self-acceptance. Pansy is a captivating ode to the constant work of becoming—and understanding—oneself.” —Publisher’s Weekly
Registration Details: Seats in this class are limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Prior to the start of your class you’ll receive an invitation to access the virtual classroom and view all class materials.
Cancellation Policy:
Full refund when canceling 7 or more days before the class start date.
50% refund when canceling less than 7 days before the class start date.
No cancellations after the class start date.
Questions? Email us at academy@narratively.com.