Writing a Personal History With Hadley Meares
In this four-part workshop, research and write your own historical essay through a personal lens.
Course Description
Have you ever wanted to write a history of personal interest in an Atlas Obscura essay-type format, but didn’t know where to begin? Perhaps you’ve always wondered about the deeper story behind an old family recipe, a run-down building on your block, or a specific moment in time. This four-part writing workshop with historical journalist Hadley Meares will equip you with the tools you’ll need to start writing.
Over the course of four sessions, you’ll learn how to begin your quest, conduct research, and shape your original project. Along the way, you’ll participate in group exercises and get personalized feedback from Hadley, your fellow participants, and an Atlas Obscura staff writer who specializes in oral histories. By the end of the course, you’ll be well on your way to writing a compelling, nonfiction history that is personal to you and your interests.
Schedule at a Glance
There are four total sessions included in this purchase, each lasting for 1.5 hours on four Saturdays beginning November 21 (skipping November 28).
Session 1 (Saturday, 11/21, 3–4:30 PM ET): Finding your voice and your inspiration
Session 2 (Saturday, 12/5, 3–4:30 PM ET): Research methodologies from home
Session 3 (Saturday, 12/12, 3–4:30 PM ET): Essay format and shaping your narrative
Session 4 (Saturday, 12/19, 3–4:30 PM ET): Story sharing and feedback
Atlas Obscura Online Courses
Our online courses offer opportunities for participants to emerge with new skills, knowledge, connections, and perspectives through multi-session classes designed and taught by expert instructors. Courses can take one of two forms: Seminars are intimate, interactive classes—capped at nine to 20 students—exploring topics and crafts through discussion, workshops, assignments, and in-class activities. We also offer lecture series that can be attended live, or viewed a time that works for you for up to one week after they’ve aired.
To learn more about our current course offerings, please visit www.atlasobscura.com/online-courses.
Once registered, you can access the Zoom room for this experience through your confirmation email or Eventbrite account.
Hadley Meares is an LA-based historical journalist, tour leader, talking head, and the host of the history podcast Underbelly LA. She is a frequent contributor to Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter, Curbed, HISTORY, LAist, Los Angeles Magazine and Atlas Obscura, among other outlets.
This is an interactive, small-group, seminar-style course that will meet on Saturdays over Zoom. Students will be invited to participate in discussions, workshop their projects, and receive feedback from the course instructor.
Students will be given optional assignments to complete between sessions, including brief writing prompts and exercises crafted to help aid in research and writing. You can spend as much or as little time on assignments as you'd like—this class is what you make of it!
There are 20 spots available on this experience.
