What's Your Story? Memoir Writing Workshop with Stephanie Elizondo Griest

Everyone has a story to tell, and jotting it down can be an empowering experience. In this workshop, we will learn how to mine our memories for shareable stories that unite us all. We will hone our technique by exploring elements of craft such as character development, dialogue, and sensory detail. We will also discuss ways of feeding ourselves as artists by strategizing on sustainable ways of fueling our practice. So join us. Together, we will be pilgrims wandering the wilderness of memory. We will elevate our lives into art.

Stephanie Elizondo Griest is a globetrotting author from the Texas-Mexico borderlands. Her six books include: Around the Bloc, Mexican Enough, All the Agents and Saints, and Art Above Everything. Widely anthologized, she has also written for the New York Times, Washington Post, The Believer, BBC, and Oxford American. Her work has won a Margolis Award for Social Justice Reporting. Currently Professor of Creative Nonfiction at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, she has performed as a Moth storyteller and as a literary ambassador for the U.S. State Department. Visit her website at www.StephanieElizondoGriest.com.

The Jaipur Literature Festival, held annually in the historic Pink City of Jaipur in Rajasthan, India, is hailed worldwide as the “greatest literary show on Earth.”  Since its founding in 2006, the Festival has expanded to include satellite festivals in eight locations across the globe, including five in the United States alone. Last year's first ever JLF North Carolina was a smashing success, and we anticipate JLF North Carolina 2025 to be similarly stunning! This year’s Festival will take place on the beautiful campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (September 26-27) and the Chapel Hill Library (September 28). Both venues are strategically located in Chapel Hill, which, along with Durham and Raleigh, comprise the Research Triangle—an urban hub known for its rapid growth, top-tier universities, thriving tech industries, and rich cultural scene. 

We are excited to announce that JLF North Carolina 2025 will feature Wolfson Prize for History winner and Festival co-director William Dalrymple, as he speaks on his new book, The Golden Road; Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai, as she discusses her forthcoming novel, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, which has been long-listed for the Booker Prize; UNC Professor Kathleen DuVal, who will be discussing her Pulitzer Prize winning book, Native Nations; and author, actor, and former White House staffer Kal Penn, alongside other national and international thought leaders. Other sessions will address topics such as Artificial Intelligences, Indian foodways, and Native American history. The Festival will also include several music and dance performances, as well as workshops with local artists and writers. JLF North Carolina 2025 is organized by UNC’s Carolina Asia Center, and community partner Sejal Mehta, in collaboration with Teamwork Arts in India, and is made possible by the generous support of the Modern Indian Studies initiative, the College of Arts and Sciences, and Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, South Arts, and many local donors.

https://jlflitfest.org/north-carolina