First Person Arts launches Memoir at Middle Age: An Introductory Workshop for Women

First Person Arts launches Memoir at Middle Age:
An Introductory Workshop for Women

PHILADELPHIA – First Person Arts is seeking women ages 50 and older from underserved Philadelphia-area communities to share their stories as part of Memoir at Middle Age: An Introductory Workshop for Women. The free six-week community workshop series is designed specifically for beginners and will be led by Dianna Marder, feature writer at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Marder will guide the women in documenting their personal histories through short, descriptive pieces about their life experiences. Memoir at Middle Age aims to honor individual self-expression and help its participants recognize the value of sharing their personal experiences and observations.

Memoir at Middle Age will run on Thursday evenings from 7-8:30 p.m., April 3rd through May 8th at the Inquirer building, located at 400 N. Broad Street. Participants will attend all six workshops. The workshop series is free and open to women 50 and over who qualify following a brief registration interview. Please contact Dianna Marder at (215) 854-5702 or at dmarder@phillynews.com to register or ask questions. Go to www.firstpersonarts.org or call (267) 402-2056 for information about First Person Arts.

Dianna Marder has teamed up with First Person Arts, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit dedicated to developing and presenting the memoir and documentary arts, to conduct these workshops. Memoir at Middle Age seeks to respect and promote the voices of what Marder calls "The Ignored Generation." "I call them the 'Ignored Generation' because these matriarchs often shoulder responsibility for their own parents, their grown children, absent husbands, infant grandchildren, their churches and their communities,” says Marder. “Their remarkable resilience deserves more recognition.”

Memoir at Middle Age, part of First Person Arts' Community Writing Project, is designed to help the participants feel accomplished and respected instead of burdened and unappreciated by encouraging them to reflect on their lives and share their stories in a supportive, emotionally safe environment. Throughout the six weeks, they will be guided in writing family histories, creating personal journals, and discovering the benefits of writing and self-expression. Marder and First Person Arts hope to build bridges of understanding between diverse groups and individuals through the power of the personal stories shared in these workshops.

About First Person Arts
Founded in 2000, First Person Arts transforms the drama of real life into memoir and documentary art to foster appreciation for our unique and shared experience. First Person Arts supports the development of new memoir and documentary work and creates opportunities for it to be seen and appreciated by many through workshops, events, memoir and documentary contests, and the annual First Person Festival. The organization reaches across cultures and communities to attract a diverse audience, and explore the stories of people from all walks of life. For more information, please visit www.firstpersonarts.org or call (267) 402-2057.

Press Contact:
Canary Promotion + Design
Megan Wendell, (215) 242-6393, meganATcanarypromo.com
High-resolution images available upon request and online at: www.canarypromo.com/firstpersonarts