Class Title: Introductory Writing Family History Instructor: A. Mary Murphy Class Term: We are not accepting any more enrollments for Mary's class; the class has started. Synopsis Getting started is the hardest part. In this five-unit course, we will take those first steps and explore the many sources of information available to us when we write a family history. Sometimes, the secrets and answers are right in front of us. Class Description Each week, we will discuss a new source of information about a family's history—photos, words, kitchens, belongings—as well as where to look for that information and how to "read" it. Then we will write a short (500-1000 words) episode of the family story. The course sets specific research tasks but also makes room for individual ideas. The assignments and instructions will be posted in the course classroom (our Yahoo Group), and students will be encouraged to discuss their problems and discoveries using group emails. Completed assignments will be uploaded as Word or PDF documents to each student's file on the website, for the instructor and classmates to offer feedback. Outline Unit 1: Photographs. Unit 2: Words. Unit 3: Kitchens. Unit 4: Possessions. Unit 5: What Else Have You Got? Student Skills, Equipment, and Time Required Beginners welcome. Students should be able to complete assignments using a word processor. E-mail and participation in Yahoo group are required. Students should plan to commit at least two hours per week to completing the planning and writing stages of each unit, but most will find that three or four hours are happily spent involved with their projects. Tuition/Fees for this course SCN members: $160. Non-SCN members: $200. Instructor Bio A Canadian, A. Mary Murphy is a lifelong writer whose doctoral work was in life writing. Her group biography of her mother's family, Pierce: Six Prairie Lives, is forthcoming this fall from Temeron Press. Her poetry collection, Shattered Fanatics, was published by BuschekBooks in 2007, and The Business of Marriage and Medals: A Relationship's Journey Through Elite Performance, co-written with Jeff and Aly Pain, appeared in 2010. Mary teaches post-secondary classes in literature and film, leads field schools to Ireland, and has a freelance writing, editing, and mentoring business, Writing Life. Praise for Mary's Classes Mary Murphy provided clever, empathetic and timely reponses. She kept us motivated and constantly challenged us to add color and details to our family stories. —Doris A., Yakima WA Good class. Mary Murphy gave very thought-provoking replies. —Lynn E., Tivoli TX