Yom HaShoah Author Talk and Workshop with Gina Roitman
1529 16th Street NW
Washington
DC 20036
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Workshop
5:30 PM – 6:45 PM: Author talk
Writing to Preserve Memory – Two Hour Memoir Workshop with Gina Roitman
Isabel Allende confessed, “I write to preserve memory against the erosion of oblivion and to bring people together.”
Every life is a story and when we write that story, we not only preserve it but open doors to a past that we have forgotten. Memoir is a tool for discovery and the joy of sharing life lessons: the disappointments, the heartaches, and the triumphs.
As a writing process memoir is more concerned with the emotional truth of occurrences and moments from your life versus biography which is most often focused on factual or chronological events.
In this introductory memoir workshop, we will examine the different ways that your story can be told. Will it be as a travelogue, a focus on major events that influenced your life, or will it be about a relationship with a loved one?
Brief readings will illustrate some of these methods.
The final half hour will be reserved for a writing exercise based on a ‘prompt’ to unlock the confidence you need to begin writing your story.
A recommended reading list of traditional and innovative memoirs will be provided.
Yom HaShoah Author talk with Gina Roitman
The Second Generation (2G) has been handed a torch, passed on by an ever dwindling number of Shoah survivors. Gina Roitman’s novel, Don’t Ask, her short stories, biography and documentary all focus on this responsibility. Since 2017, she has been coaching 14 daughters of Holocaust survivors in memoir-writing, almost all from in and around DC. Despite the diversity in their ages, backgrounds, professions, and temperaments—their haunting stories all carry common threads. Hear from Gina about the second generation’s onerous responsibility to move forward and yet, still honor their parent’s stories.
45 minute lecture with 30 minutes for Q&A and book signing
About Gina Roitman
A novelist, short story writer, and writing coach, Gina Roitman is the author of the literary thriller Don’t Ask; the auto-fiction collection Tell Me a Story, Tell Me the Truth; and the co-author of the biography Midway to China and Beyond. She has written the memoirs of two Holocaust survivors and her work has appeared in numerous anthologies, magazines, and poetry collections. Gina is also the subject and co-producer of the award-winning documentary film My Mother, the Nazi Midwife and Me (2013). www.ginaroitman.com
Co-presented with 3GDC and The Generations After
The Edlavitch DCJCC embraces inclusion in all its programs and activities. We welcome and encourage the participation of all people, regardless of their background, sexual orientation, abilities, or religion, including interfaith couples and families.