“There are no such things as stupid questions, only pretentious instructors.”
- Michelle’s teaching motto
How to Start Your Memoir with Intention
An online session with Write or Die Magazine
August 21 @ 4:00-5:30 p.m. PST
Online // Recorded!
Course Takeaways
Understand what a strong memoir structure looks like
How to apply a novel-like story arc to your memoir (and this includes playing with unconventional form)
How to pinpoint and expand upon moments of tension in your memoir in order to create the greatest impact, both on your narrator (you) and your reader
Understand how to insert humor and memorable scenes in your memoir
How to brainstorm scenes to include (or not)
How to drafting a story outline (and when in the process might work best for you)
How and why you should write character sketches
Manuscript consultations and 1-on-1 coaching
Ready to receive detailed feedback on your writing? I’ve got one slot left for September 2025 and two for October 2025.
Writing coaching sessions with me are like “book therapy.”
Get Writing: Unblocking Writer’s Block
It’s back! And with all new reading material and prompts.
An 8-week in-person class with Literary Arts
September 2 - October 21, 2025, Tuesdays, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Course Takeaways
● Learn new tools for getting the writing juices flowing and getting words on the page
● Better understand the meaning behind your words
● Practice applying new tools to works in progress
● Develop or strengthen your regular writing practice
● Have community with other writers of all levels in a safe writing space
Back by request for a fun in-person spring session. Excited to see you there!
6-Month Memoir Intensive (workshop)
September 11 - February 26, 2025, Thursdays, 1:00-3:00 p.m. PST (online)
Hosted by Literary Arts. See their site for full set of dates.
This six-month class is designed for memoirists in the early to mid stages of their memoir writing journey looking for consistent, in-depth feedback on their work. We will study four different memoirs in this class, along with several excerpts and essays. Writers include Melissa Febos, Samantha Irby, Jeannette Walls, David Sedaris, Bill Clegg, Lidia Yuknavitch, Bell Hooks and others.
This course provides weekly accountability, short exercises, a regular review of your work, along with optional writing homework as it pertains to your unique project. The goal is to reach the end of this term with a more clear idea of how to move forward with your memoir.
Together we’ll look for ways to structure your memoir so that your readers aren’t lost along the journey and they’re engaged along the way.
Course takeaways and structure:
● Learn new memoir writing and editing techniques
● We’ll look at your work and ask: Is there a more interesting or impactful way to say that?
● Writers will have the opportunity to share up to 12 pages of their work, 6-8 times throughout the class.
Five Decades of Short Stories: The 70s thru 2010s
A 6-week in-person class with Literary Arts
October 22 - December 3, 2025, Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00 p.m. (six sessions, no meeting November 12)
Delve for Writers is an occasional series of seminars designed to help writers improve their craft through close readings of contemporary poetry and prose. These seminars focus on narrative structure, form, and stylistic choices, providing writers with tools to enhance their own writing practice.
In this class, we’ll reflect on how the short story changed over the decades, and what stories are told. We will be using one text in this class: The Penguin Book of the Modern American Short Story, with a focus on stories from: Lauren Groff, Manuel Muñoz, Percival Everett, Dorothy Alison, and Alice Walker.
Excited to see you in this brand new class!
How to Start a Story
Learn more about the class and watch for a fun surprise…
How to Start a Story: Craft-focused prompts & exercises to help you consciously start interesting stories
This mini course is focused on the most difficult part of writing a story: starting with a focus, and infusing stories with “interesting.”
In How to Start a Story we’ll use three very different types of writing prompts to start a story with potential. Then, we’ll review how these prompts help you to reflect on what your story is “about.”
Each class comes with:
3 guided prompts to help you write more interesting stories
1 live class session on June 23 at 4 pm PST
1 feature spot of your story on the Banana Pitch Press website
Live Class Session
I will be hosting ONE (1) live, online session on June 23, 2025 for all folks who register between now and June 22. Bring all your questions and shares and I’ll do my best to answer them all.
Super excited to have you in class!
Office Hours
As part of my Substack, office hours is a 1-hour live session where writers and other creatives can come together and talk about making art. For example:
How do you structure your day?
How do you reach your artistic goals (or set some?)
What’re you struggling with most in your creative /writing life?
Free for paid Substack subscribers, which is only $5/mo, or $20 a head for drop in folks.
NEXT:
Live session date coming soon. In the meantime: Send me your questions and I’ll answer them in a written post.
EVENTS
Interested in hosting Michelle at your organization, book store, or event? contact Michelle directly.
Past Events
✜ May 25 — Raymond Carver’s Birthday: Carver poetry readings from a bunch of Portland area artists
The Chapel Theater in Milwaukie, OR.
✜ May 29 — Up Up Books with Morgan Waites, author of She Was Horrid
✜ April 26 — PORTLAND — Literary Arts — Free pop up class as part of National Independent Bookstore Day!
How to Start a Story (sneak peak in-person session!)
1 pm — Link here! Space is limited. Recommend arriving early. Free snackies and drinkies.
April 26 — PORTLAND — Bold Books
5 pm — With Emme Lund, author The Boy with a Bird in His Chest
For National Independent Bookstore Day!
✜ April 10 — PORTLAND — Literary Arts — with Portland Radio Project Executive Director and Producer, Veronica Bisesti!
7 pm — Link here!
✜March 14 — Live interview on the Portland Radio Project, 99.1 fm or streaming at prp.fm
✜ March 4, PORTLAND — Co-launch with Portland author Bristol Vaudrin to celebrate the release of Bristol’s debut book, Afterward at The Old Portland
✜ March 6 — SAN FRANCISCO — Green Apple Books in conversation with writer and translator Achy Obejas
✜ March 8 — OAKLAND — Clio’s — in conversation with musician Madeline Kenney
✜ The Banana Pitch Variety Show, Pitch on the Streets (current, ongoing)
Live interviews with authors, musicians and comedians
✜ Portland Book Festival - November 2024
Writing Workshop: Weird Asides: Incorporating Funny Tangents into Your Writing
✜ The Tomorrow Theater - September 2024
In Conversation with Brooke Totman about Sexy Life, Hello and conversations with Mattress,
Reptaliens, and Travis Abels
✜ Tin House - Bishop & Wilde Bookstore, July 2024
In conversation with Ananda Lima about her collection Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil
✜ The Stacks Bookstore, June 2024
In conversation with Tessa Fontaine about her novel The Red Grove
✜ Portland Art Museum, March 2024
Emcee, Best Music Video Showcase
✜ Tin House - Bishop & Wilde Bookstore, November 2023
In Conversation with Jennifer Fliss about her short story collection, As If She Had a Say
✜ Powell’s Books, September 2023
In Conversation with Nicola Griffith about her novel, Menewood
✜ Willamette Week Best New Bands Showcase, Emcee - June 2022
Want Michelle to teach at your place?
Workshops
Michelle loves leading workshops for large groups or small.
Event Hosting
Michelle loves to emcee, including live interviews, show hosting, co-hosting…
Etc
Send a message about what you’re thinking!
Get Covered
Learn from a music journalist how to get press. We’ll review real (fictionalized) press releases and dissect what makes a good pitch. We’ll also cover all the stuff you should have on your website, social media and electronic press kits (EPK).
Class comes with downloadable templates for all of the above
What students are saying…
I found my voice in Michelle’s class. Finally, I found my voice.
— G.T., Portland Community College student
"Hands down - Best writing class that I’ve taken at LA."
— Literary Arts student
"Michelle Kicherer is a truly gifted teacher of writing! Each student discovered material they had no idea was inside of them. Michelle is disarming, charming, crazy smart and also very funny. Thanks Michelle!"
— Literary Arts student
Michelle's Fiction Technique in Memoir class is thoughtfully, intelligently designed, and gracefully delivered. I have been in grad seminars where I have learned less.
— Tasha S., Writing Workshops student
I got exactly what I needed from Michelle's class! Through the reading and writing prompts discussed with the class, I was able to tackle my own writing project from all kinds of different angles I never would have thought of on my own.
— Emily R., Writing Workshops student
If you're struggling with your memoir, I urge you to take a course with Michelle! Her suggestions about my work are tremendously helpful. Michelle is an insightful, humorous and thoughtful teacher. She's inspired me to write consistently, no easy task. Thank you, Michelle.
— Karen K.
Michelle, thanks again and again. It’s been delightful to work with you and receive such helpful suggestions, skilled editing, and on-going encouragement. You’ve fed my writing in more ways than you could ever know, or imagine.
— Geri O., Litquake student
Michelle, you have no idea what this class means to me. Thank you.
— M.G., Portland Community College student
Michelle, this has been the workshop which transformed my whole understanding of writing. I have so admired your gentle style (combined with your superpower insight and incredible edits!) I am so grateful to have been in this class.”
— Rob B., Writing Workshops student
Other recent classes
Note: I teach regularly at several schools & organizations. To stay in the loop on new classes subscribe to my newsletter (form below)
Fiction Technique in Memoir - Summer ‘24 - SOLD OUT
Hosted by Writing Workshops
Intermediate Creative Writing, Spring ‘24 -SOLD OUT
Portland Community College
Beginning Creative Writing, Spring ‘24
Portland Community College
Beginning Memoir, Spring ‘24 -SOLD OUT
Portland Community College
Unblocking Writer’s Block, Jan ‘24 - SOLD OUT
Hosted by Literary Arts
Chapter 1: How to Write Openings, Jan ‘24
Hosted by The Attic Institute
The Writing, Editing, Writing Class, Jan ‘24
Hosted by The Attic Institute
Get Writing - Summer ‘23 - SOLD OUT
Hosted by Literary Arts
Prompts & Processes - Summer ‘23 - SOLD OUT
Hosted by Writing Workshops
Fiction Technique in Memoir - Summer ‘23 - SOLD OUT
Hosted by Writing Workshops
The Novel Mapping Class - Spring ‘23
Hosted by Writing Workshops
Prompted: A Get-Writing Class - Spring ‘23 — SOLD OUT (thank you!)
Hosted by Writing Workshops
The Craft of Fiction (in-person) - SOLD OUT
Hosted by Literary Arts
Fiction Technique in Memoir (In-person) - SOLD OUT (thank you!)
Hosted by Literary Arts
4-Month Writing Cohort for Memoirists (Online)
Prompted: A Get-Writing Class - Winter ‘23 — SOLD OUT (thank you!)
Hosted by Writing Workshops
Fiction Technique in Memoir (Online) - SOLD OUT (thank you!)
Hosted by Writing Workshops
Generative Writing (online)
Hosted by Litquake
