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Writing Family History :

Course begins on Thursday 20 January 2011

Faber and Faber Ltd. 
Bloomsbury House 
74-77 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DA

Price: £3,500 [SOLD OUT]

Writing Family History is a comprehensive course on writing a family story whether for publication or private interest. The course will deal with the fundamental aspects of writing a family history, including effective research, structuring complex material, finding an authorial voice, weaving individual stories into larger themes, understanding audience, shaping and editing material, and getting published.

The course will be led by Andrea Stuart, with master classes on specific areas relevant to the topic provided by authors with a proven track record. One Saturday workshop will be dedicated to genealogical research; others will involve visits to the British Library and the Public Record Office in Kew.

Reading List

In order to understand the wide range of approaches to writing family history, participants will be required to do background reading on the genre. The following titles are recommended:

Margaret Forster, Hidden lives: A Family Memoir
Jung Chan, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
Blake Morrison, And When Did You Last See Your Father?
Jonathan Freedland, Jacob’s Gift: A Journey into the Heart of Belonging
Edward Ball, Slaves in the Family
Mary-Kay Wilmers, The Eitingons [more]

Course Programme

All classes will take place at the Faber offices near the British Museum:

Faber and Faber, Ltd.
Bloomsbury House
74-77 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DA

The course runs from January to June 2011, and consists of 22 two-hour evening sessions and 6 full-day sessions. All evening sessions will take place on Thursdays from 7–9pm. Full-day sessions will take place on Saturdays from 10am–5pm.

NOTE: There is a two-week Easter break between Session 12 of Term 1 and Session 1 of Term 2.

The subject matter of sessions as listed below is a guide only. The exact course content will be finalised according to the experience and interests of the group and guest speakers’ availability. The detail of the course content is at the discretion of the course leaders and the Faber Academy.

TERM 1: 20 January 2011–Thursday 7 April 2011

Session 1	Thu 20 Jan	Introductory session
Session 2	Thu 27 Jan	Family history: An overview
Session 3	Thu 3 Feb	Research methods: An overview
Session 4	Thu 10 Feb	Specialist archives – a visit to the Wellcome Trust Library, led by Dr Christopher Hilton
Session 5	Thu 17 Feb	Newspapers and periodicals
Session 6	Thu 24 Feb	Using personal papers
Session 7	Thu 3 Mar	Putting yourself in the picture
Session 8	Thu 10 Mar	Writing about a group
Session 9	Thu 17 Mar	A sense of place
Session 10	Thu 24 Mar	Placing the subject in time: period dress and domestic detail
Session 11	Thu 31 Mar	Writing about friends and family: emotional and ethical issues
Session 12	Thu 7 Apr	Before you start to write

Easter Break

TERM 2: 29 April 2011–Thursday 30 June 2011

Session 1	Thu 28 Apr	Point of view
Session 2	Thu 5 May	Stucture: Part One
Session 3	Thu 12 May	Stucture: Part Two
Session 4	Thu 19 May	A question of style
Session 5	Thu 26 May	Building character
Session 6	Thu 2 Jun	That first draft
Session 7	Thu 9 Jun	Writing blocks and other obstacles
Session 8	Thu 16 Jun	Revising and editing
Session 9	Thu 23 Jun	The marketplace: Finding an agent
Session 10	Thu 30 Jun	The publishing industry: Advice from a publisher

Saturday Sessions:

Saturday 1	Sat 5 Feb	Genealogical research with Patric Dickinson
Saturday 2	Sat 5 Mar	Masterclass 1: John Stape – Using Family History in Other Genres
Saturday 3	Sat 2 Apr	Visit to the Public Records Office
Saturday 4	Sat 7 May	Masterclass 2: Peter Parker – Writing Ordinary Life
Saturday 5	Sat 4 Jun	Nurturing your inner writer
Saturday 6	Sat 25 Jun	Masterclass 3: Louise Doughty – A novelist's perspective

The course will also contain an element of group work, in which you will be expected to read and give feedback on one another’s work.

Course Director

Andrea Stuart is an award-winning writer who was raised in Jamaica, the US and the UK. Having studied English & American Studies at the University of East Anglia, she worked in journalism, publishing and TV production. Her books include The Rose of Martinique: a biography of Napoleon's Josephine, which was published in several countries, and Showgirls, which has turned into a two-part TV documentary and a dance event. Her next book, Sugar in the Blood: one family's story of slavery and Empire will be published in 2011 by Portobello Books (UK), Knopf (USA) and Ambo Anthios (Holland). Andrea has been published in a number of anthologies and has contributed to the Guardian, the Independent, the Telegraph and the New Statesman.

How to Book

Contact Becky Fincham on either beckyf@faber.co.uk or +44 (0) 207 927 3908.

Alternatively, write to:
Becky Fincham
Faber and Faber
Bloomsbury House 
74-77 Great Russell St 
London WC1B 3DA

The subject matter of course sessions is subject to change due to the level of experience and interests of the group and availability of guest speakers.

Payment Structure

In order to confirm a place on the course, all students are asked to pay a non-refundable deposit towards the course fees of £1000, to be paid in two installments, one upon booking, and one before the course begins. This deposit acts as an initial payment. The balance of the course fee will then be payable in four further installments of £625 on 1 February, 1 March, 1 April and 1 May 2011 respectively. No refunds will be given to students who miss sessions or drop out of the course once the full fee has been paid.

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