“A memoir is about handing over your life to someone and saying, ‘this is what I went through, this is who I am, and maybe you can learn something from it.’” — Jeannette Walls

Mission:  Create a personal memoir that defines your experiences in the vein of authors we’ve covered so far like Roxane Gay, Jamaica Kincaid, Malala Yousafzai, and Alison Bechdel.

Requirements:  3-page minimum – it can be as long as you want. You must include 3-5 pieces in at least 3 different genres.  At least one of your genres should be exposition (paragraph form writing i.e. not a poem) and at least one element should be visual.

Your memoir should:

·       focus in on one event or a series of related events.

·       be cohesive, using a repetend to tie the pieces together.

·       give readers a solid sense of who you are.

·       be personal and original yet relatable for a broader audience.

As you think about possible life details to include in your memoir, you need to consider which genre(s) would be effective to communicate your ideas. Before you select each genre for your project, you’ll need to ask yourself, “Why am I choosing this genre? What do I want to be able to say or express through this genre?”  In a successful multi-genre memoir, especially a short one, your choices must be strategic and purposeful.

Repetend:  The purpose of a repetend is to create unity and coherence in a multi-genre work.  It functions as both a “thesis” and a transitional device to reinforce an overall theme throughout your project and connect one piece to the next.

Ideas for creating a repetend (you may think of something different):

·       A repeated phrase, sentence, or passage within each piece

·       A repeated, relevant graphic design, placed strategically for easy recognition

·       A running commentary (like a voiceover) from you, the writer, before/after each piece

·       A series of related song lyrics, quotes, Bible verses, etc. between your pieces

In addition to the content of the authors covered in class, you can also view sample multi-genre works here:

“Living Thin” http://www.users.miamioh.edu/romanots/pdf/LivingThin.pdf

“Wrestling the Race Monster” http://www.users.miamioh.edu/romanots/pdf/MaryHannahField2mgp.pdf

Source for Samples:  Romano, Tom.  “Examples of Multigenre.” Weebly. https://tomromano.weebly.com/examples-of-multigenre.html

Rubric

Possible Genres

Here is a list of possible genres to get you started.  There are plenty of other options besides these.  Be creative!

advice column                                                             obituary

character sketch                                                         menu

eyewitness account                                                   list

eulogy                                                                          job application/resume

letter                                                                             lyrics

journal/diary                                                              poem (acrostic, haiku, sonnet, etc.)

internal monologue                                                   graph/chart

fairy tale                                                                     advertisement

dream sequence                                                        comic

news article                                                                 instructions

social media post                                                   dialogue with a person

e-mail                                                                                  text/instant message

ransom note                                                                  recipe