How to edit memoir writing: Helen Moffett - Cancelled

This two-hour seminar will examine how editing memoir writing (whether in book form, essay/s or autobiographical fiction) differs – especially in emphasis – from other kinds of editing and copyediting. We’ll look at what motivates the author, ethical (and legal) issues, how to structure the messiness of lived experience into a ‘story’, and the biggest challenge of all: author support and management. This will hopefully be useful to memoir editors, those who run memoir writing workshops, and authors themselves busy with memoir writing.

Helen Moffett is an experienced editor, author, academic, and poet. She has authored, co-authored, or collated over 20 books, ranging from university textbooks to poetry to historical fiction to environmental handbooks. She has worked in publishing for 30 years and has been lucky enough to work with some of the most dazzling authors in Africa and elsewhere. In 2019, she was named one of the top ten literary editors and curators from the African continent. She has been training African writers and academics in writing, editing, and self-editing skills since 2000, and for four years, she headed the Short Story Day Africa Editing Mentoring programme, an initiative to identify talent and provide training and support to younger editors working for African publishers and on literary platforms. She continues to mentor authors via this platform and also runs the Salon Hecate project at Noordhoek Art Point Gallery. These events provide cross-over spaces and opportunities for local poets, authors, and creative projects. Visit https://noordhoekartpoint.co.za/salon-hecate/ for information.For more details of Helen's authors and books, and to read her blog, visit https://www.helenmoffett.com/