Is your life full of stories waiting to be told? Join writing coach Mari Mendoza over Zoom on Thursday afternoons, weekly from July 4 to 25; or writing coach Asifa Sheikh in person in Toronto every second Tuesday evening in July and August (July 9 and 23, August 6 and 20) for Life Stories, a four-session memoir-writing workshop hosted by Firefly Creative Writing.
This workshop is for folks who want to escape the grind, nourish their creative souls and write some of their life stories. Participants will use short writing exercises, supportive feedback and lots of sharing to shake away blocks, find their writing voices and move some of their stories onto the page.
The class will use workbooks and group sessions to help participants express their memories in new ways. Workbooks (Firefly will provide PDFs, but you can order paper copies if you prefer) include a theme to write about, a bunch of ideas about how to start, and a writing tip that you can take or leave. Group sessions will start with a little writing warmup, and then focus on hearing and talking about the pieces written. These groups are kept small to ensure your work gets the time and space it needs – and you can expect to leave each session with warm and supportive feedback and conversation to fuel next steps. Read more about what you can expect from this workshop here.
We believe writing has the power to change minds, open hearts, and connect us deeply to ourselves, our world and each other. We believe that this is more critical now than ever.
– Firefly Creative Writing
About Firefly Creative Writing
Founded by writing coach Chris Kay Fraser, Firefly Creative Writing is a small, Southern Ontario-based team of writing coaches and support staff, offering services locally and globally to help writers get unblocked, understand their individual process and bring their imagination to the page. They host small and large in-person and virtual workshops for all levels, from beginner to seasoned writers; workshops for teens; workshops for workplaces; free in-person and virtual pop-up summer writing sessions; and other events. They also offer one-on-one writing coaching, in-person and virtual writing retreats, BIPOC programming, and writing resources.
About Mari Mendoza
Writing coach/facilitator and BIPOC Programming Manager Mari Mendoza was already connected with Firefly as a writer when, observing the writing coaches at work, she realized that writing coach was her dream job. A storyteller since she could read, she completed her first book when she was six years old, later rekindling her love of writing while completing her BA in English literature before going on to work as a freelance writer and editor. Over the past couple of years, she’s written historical fiction, YA dystopia and hundreds of 100-word stories about her life. She also teaches at Fanshawe College and works at her local indie bookstore part-time.
(Photo credits: Mari Mendoza / Firefly Creative Writing.)
About Asifa Sheikh
Asifa Sheikh is a writing coach/facilitator who grew up in a multilingual household with a love of words. An avid reader who’s loved the sound of words since childhood, her father encouraged her to write – which she did, though for many years as a mostly private, secret hobby. Experiencing the power of small groups and the love shared while facilitating therapeutic groups for mothers and children in the process of healing from violence inspired her to translate that energy into her love of writing. She found community at Firefly, among others who love the beauty and power of language as she does – and she loves working with writers who, nervous and hesitant to share their stories, a place she knows well, are searching for their voices.
(Photo credits: Asifa Sheikh / Firefly Creative Writing.)
Event details
Hosted by: Firefly Creative Writing
Type of event: memoir-writing workshop
Writing coaches/facilitators: Mari Mendoza (online workshop) or Asifa Sheikh (in-person workshop)
Dates & times:
- Online (Zoom): Weekly on Thursday afternoons (July 4 – 25), 2024 from 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM ET; or
- In-person: Every second week on Tuesday evenings (July 9 & 23, August 6 & 20), 2024 from 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM ET
Duration: 2.5 hours each session (total of 10 hours)
Number of sessions: 4
Cost:
- Online workshop: C$425.00 or 4 monthly payments of $106.25 each (+ local provincial tax for Canadians)
- In-person workshop: C$445.00 or 4 monthly payments of $111.25 each (+ local provincial tax for Canadians)
Financial assistance is available. No credit card? Contact Firefly and they can work something out.
In-person workshop location: St. Matthew’s Clubhouse, 450 Broadview Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4K 2N1, Canada
Booking links:
- Online workshop (pay in full): Book your spot with full payment here.
- Online workshop (pay in installments): Book your spot with 4 installment payments here.
- In-person workshop (pay in full): Book your spot with full payment here.
- In-person workshop (pay in installments): Book your spot with 4 installment payments here.
Contact Details: Firefly Creative Writing Inc., PO Box 72062, RPO Coxwell Shoppers, Toronto, ON, M4C 0A1; fireflycreativewriting.com/get-in-touch
Accessibility: In-person workshop location info here.
Healthcare protocol for in-person workshops: Info here.
Financial policies: See their financial policies here.