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Memoir Writing Group

A weekly life-writing class led by author Delores Nelson

Beginning with a small but enthusiastic group of adults, the Memoir Writing Group at the State Capital Museum has been meeting regularly for nearly two years. The group explores the past through writing and assembling their memoirs. Lead by Delores Kelso Nelson, a writer and teacher in the Olympia area for over 15 years, the memoir class serves participants by igniting lost memories, supporting practicing memoir writers, and offering a chance to socialize. Nelson notes that some group members say "Oh, I'm not a writer...I just thought I would give it a try," but remain motivated by the questions of family members who want to know what grandmother or grandfather has experienced personally. "Younger family members want to know what it was like to grow up 'then,' and their loved ones will cherish whatever they write," states Nelson.

While popular with the retired crowd, the group is not limited to senior citizens, and anyone can enjoy recording their memories and even publishing their own stories. Nelson provides a writing exercise each week as a point of departure, and has lots of expertise to offer in preparing and publishing personal manuscripts. The State Capital Museum hosts the group on Tuesday afternoons, with more than a dozen men and women in attendance. Upcoming topics include:

• January 13: Fathers and Daughters
• January 20: When I Was Ten
• January 27: The Last Day
• February 3: Mercy
• February 10: The Phone Call
• February 17: Sadness and Joy
• February 24: The Ground I Walk On

The Memoir Writing Group helps adults explore their lives through writing. For some, this is the first time they have written anything, while others have complied extensive personal or organizational memoirs. Most of the writers have little interest in getting published, they want a first hand account of their lives to pass on to family members. Looking back hasn't always been considered healthy, but experts today say it is essential to weave our memories together and share them with friends and family, to help us as we age to feel that life has been worthwhile. "When memoir writers create images of the world that was-they connect the past with the present and the future. They are teaching," Nelson said. "You have to read their stories to learn their wisdom."

Washington State Historical Society
1911 Pacific Avenue
Tacoma, WA 98402
Toll-free 1-888-BE-THERE (1-888-238-4373)