Memoir: Writing the Experiences of Illness and Grief

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Instructor
Illness and grief are formative, shattering experiences that both shape and unite us as human beings. And while both experiences can make us feel profoundly alone and isolated, the stories we read, tell, and write are powerful antidotes, offering connection and hope. In this workshop, we will apply the techniques of memoir to write about this rich landscape. In this supportive and generative workshop, we will read and write together, focusing on lessons on craft (with a focus on voice and scene) but also ensuring plenty of writing time with prompts and feedback on your work.
Sunita Puri

Dr. Sunita Puri is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, where she is the Director of the Inpatient Palliative Care Service. A 2025 Literature Fellow of the Bogliasco Foundation, she is the author of That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, a critically acclaimed literary memoir examining her journey to the practice of palliative medicine, and her quest to help patients and families redefine what it means to live and die well in the face of serious illness. A graduate of Yale University and the recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship, her writing has appeared in the New Yorker, Atlantic, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Tricycle, Slate, Wall Street Journal, and the Journal of the American Medical Association, among other places. She and her work have been featured in the Atlantic, People Magazine, PBS’ Christian Amanpour Show, NPR, the Guardian, BBC, India Today, and Literary Hub. In 2019, the Guardian made a mini-documentary of her work with her patients, which has been viewed over 3.5 million times. She has been awarded writing residencies at the Bogliasco Foundation, MacDowell, Yaddo, Hedgebrook, Mesa Refuge, and UCross. A sought-after speaker who has delivered lectures around the world, Dr. Puri is passionate about the ways that the precise and compassionate use of language can empower patients and physicians to have the right conversations about living and dying. 

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Week 2 - Memoir: Writing the Experiences of Illness and Grief Week 2 | Jul 06 - Jul 10
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
3:15 pm - 5:15 pm
Literary Arts Center at Alumni Hall Prose Room
Spots remaining:11

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