“All sorrows can be borne,” writes Isak Dinesen, “if you put them in a story, or tell a story about them.” This program will approach autobiography (literally, ‘self-life-writing’) as a powerful way to make sense of human experience, particularly in times, places, and social, political, and personal settings that differ from our own. Our texts will range from classics in the genre, like Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, to works of autobiographical fiction by Joyce and Plath, to innovative graphic novels like Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and Craig Thompson’s Blankets. In seminars, students will delve into the intricate issues of memory, authority, persona, and truth that present themselves to every writer of self-narrative; in “writing marathons” they will learn to write freely and fearlessly about their experiences, thoughts, and emotions. Students will also develop and articulate their new understandings by means of response papers, reflective journals, bibliographic summaries, and related activities. Finally, each quarter students will write substantial memoir-essays of their own, developing their topics and drafts in a supportive group environment. This is the second quarter of a two-quarter, half-time program; there are no prerequisites for spring quarter. Students will be admitted as space allows.