University of Iowa

Christine Hemp

Christine Hemp has aired her work on NPR’s Morning Edition, and she has written, produced, and hosted a public radio program called The Institute of Higher Yearning which braided music, literature, art, and science. Her awards include a Harvard University Conway Award for teaching writing; a Washington State Artist Trust fellowship for literature; and an Iowa Review Award for literary nonfiction. Her collection of poems, That Fall, was chosen for the New Women’s Voices Series at Finishing Line Press. She lives with her husband and two horses in Port Townsend, Washington.

Instructor Events

Mini-Memoirs for Podcast, Radio, and Reading Aloud

Weeklong June 17 to June 22 2018

To write a mini-memoir is to create a moment in time. During this week you will generate a series of short pieces that stand alone and/or work collectively. Turning to the work of writers like Patti Smith, Brian Doyle, Beth Ann Fennelly, Sally Mann, and Mary Karr, we will examine how limitation can be liberating, why form is crucial, and what it means to unleash an arresting voice for a listening—as well as a reading—audience. By the end of the week you will have created your own podcast and a suite of mini-memoirs.

Scene vs. Reflection in Personal Narrative

Weekend June 23 to June 24 2018

Reflection is the nonfiction writer’s gift to the reader, offering meaning to the car crash, the encounter with a heron, that afternoon flipping burgers. Therefore, it’s crucial to know when to let a scene do the work—letting the reader live in a specific moment—and when to pull back into exposition, summary, and meaning-making. Bring a rough chapter or draft of an essay, and we will generate new scenes for your memoir or essay, then weave them with reflection. All levels welcome.