Events › The Art of the Micro-Memoir with Otto Vock

Micro-memoirs are a form of personal essay that experiment with storytelling and unlikely paths of autobiographic writing. The Latin root of the word ‘essay” is a verb meaning “to attempt, to try.” 

In this three-week workshop, led by Otto Vock, we’ll produce and revise micro-memoirs that attempt to convey our personal way of witnessing and understanding culture, history, and the minutiae of daily life. We’ll think about our writing process as an exhibit of cultural artifacts we walk our reader through. We’ll explore what surprising insights emerge from putting distant observations into close conversation. We’ll be looking at the work of Ross Gay, Hanif Adurraqib, and Aracelis Girmay to inspire our thinking and engage in guided scaffolding exercises to make the task of brainstorming and starting a new piece less daunting. 

No experience is required. Everyone has an important story to tell, and we’ll make sure you have the support to tell it on your terms.

NOTE: The third class on May 30 will be a reading where participants read their work to library patrons and community members. All are welcome to attend.

Facilitator Bio:

Otto Vock is a Jewish Non-Binary poet and educator from Jersey City, NJ, now residing in Somerville, MA. Their poetry has previously appeared in The Offing, The Plum Creek Review, The Quinobequin Review and Pigeon Pages NYC. They’re the primary author of the companion curriculum for Phil Kaye’s book of poems, Date & Time, made in partnership with Button Poetry and Project VOICE. Otto currently instructs in-person and online poetry workshops across Boston Public Library branches and in youth residencies across Boston Public Schools with Mass Poetry. They are a master’s student at Tufts University’s Educational Studies program.

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