Joining the Conversation

Catharine H. Murray3 Comments

For over a decade now I have been teaching people how to use writing as a way to heal, to give voice to the stories that have been waiting inside. When we allow ourselves to write, we get in touch with, nurture and listen to parts of ourselves that may have been forced into hiding long ago. The result is the metabolism of our experiences to help us move forward into living brighter and more powerful lives.
 
Writing to heal ourselves is only the first step in the process. What comes next is moving these stories out into the larger world where they can work their magic on others. When stories are shared, readers feel seen, understood, less alone. And by sharing our stories publicly we place ourselves where we belong: firmly standing in the collective conversation. Despite internal recordings that suggest otherwise and might be running on repeat, each of us has a right to speak and be heard.
 
The courageous act of sending our work out into the world moves us out of shame and fear and feeling small. And when we let go of our stories and poems, we are trusting that they will find their way  into the hands of those who need to read them as much as we needed to write them.
 
But how do you create a collection? How do you decide which of your pieces are right to share, which stories you want to tell?
 
I will answer these questions and more in an interactive, online workshop Sunday November 9th from 1 to 4 PM EST. In Create A Collection, whether you are putting together a book of personal narrative pieces, poems, short stories, or a full length memoir, I will lead you through prompts and exercises that will help you find structure and vision for your collection. We will practice techniques for revision and how to make your inner critic work for you instead of against you.
 
Click the link for more information.
 
(The option to join in an additional hour of personal feedback on your work is currently available.)

And if you’re in the area this Sunday afternoon, October 19th, stop by to say hello and visit one of Portland’s hidden gems, the library at Mechanic’s Hall for BACK TO THE BOOK FAIR. I’ll be there.

Finally, on Tuesday, November 18th at 6 PM I’ll be giving an author talk at the South Portland Library.

Hope to see you in the coming month!

5-Week Summer Writing Workshop Starts July 11th

Catharine H. MurrayLeave a comment

Join a small group of writers for a five-week online series as we push the boundaries of our own creative urges through the magic of form. Starting on Friday, July 11th at 1 PM EST, this weekly two-hour workshop will provide immediate feedback on your short prose or poetry pieces along with that essential element many of us require: deadlines and accountability.

The forms are fun, the atmosphere supportive, and the positive effect of an assigned framework for your work will surprise you. Partial Scholarships available. To learn more and register, click here. Enrollment capped at 10, so register soon.

Traveling Again

Catharine H. Murray4 Comments

It’s time to leave another winter behind. This year mine was spent house-sitting a cozy two-hundred-year-old farm house where I stayed to keep the mice away and the pipes from freezing in the cold Maine winter. Watching the snow fall, the ice flow out on the Kennebec River below, and finally the hundreds of daffodils bloom on the hillside below, sometimes I was able to sit still and find some time to write.

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Most of the time, though, I was teaching classes, making new friends at pickleball, and hanging out with my eldest son who was my housemate from Christmas to Easter. I loved having a place I could feel settled and a place to host family and friends for dinner parties and long visits.

I also got to get away to spend a long weekend in North Carolina with my Tuesday class where we worked together on finishing our collection of mini-memoirs to be published in the fall. (I will send out an announcement for our debut reading when I have it.)

The owner of the farmhouse arrives tonight, so I am on my way out this afternoon. Closets (all but one) and drawers are emptied and everything I’ll need (or want) for the next six weeks — spring sweaters, summer dresses, pickleball paddle, hiking boots, sandals and bathing suits– ready to be packed into the car.

Transitions tend to make me cranky, so this past week was rocky, especially when my son moved out to begin his own adventure (apartment in Portland, a new job, and school). Of course I was happy for him, but a little sad for me.

Trying to get to the bottom of my melancholy, I question this funny life I have with no permanent home. Why don’t I want to settle down? Why am I content to come and go, a house-sitter whose schedule is subject to other’s schedules? I didn’t find any answers this week, but I decided not to worry about it. It’s working for now, I tell myself, and I’ll feel better soon. And today, the day I finally go, I do feel better. It feels good to know all that’s left to focus on this morning is a shorter list of tasks. Finally, as I load the car, water the plants, and scrub the kitchen sink, I feel excited about what’s ahead, knowing I’ll be back soon enough.

First stop will be Portland to visit friends and see Cody’s new apartment. After that, I’ll drive down the New England coast, visiting more friends with a stop in New York City to see Tahn on my way to Long Island. There, longtime friend Kecia Ford and I will host Memoir 101: A Women’s Writing Weekend in the Hamptons, where I will have the privilege of working with a small group of women on the powerful work of writing to heal, work I feel lucky to be able to do. It is an honor and a joy to accompany people on their creative journeys, at whatever stage they may be. Finally, I’ll head back to Portland to catch a flight to Denver to visit family there, and then in June, spend a few weeks in mid-coast Maine with family.  

With the magic of online classes, I can continue teaching writing and seeing clients throughout my travels. When I’m settled again for the summer, between hiking, camping, beach visits and early morning lake swims, I will decide when the next writing class starts and keep chipping away at the next memoir.

Lucky me.

Memoir 101 Starts Tuesday, January 21st at 4 PM

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If you have not already taken this class, I hope you will join us.

This online class is a wonderful way to become part of a supportive community of emerging writers as you dive into the adventure of self-discovery with instruction and inspiration.

We meet each week on Zoom for five 90-minute sessions.

To learn more and register, click here.

Memoir 101: Writing Your Stories

5-week Zoom Class

STARTS JANUARY 21st 2025 at 4 PM EST.

$347 for the 5-week series

Partial Scholarships Available

Contact: catharinehmurray@gmail.com  (207)347-9396

  • Do you want to write your memoir but don’t know where to start?
  • Are you a beginning writer who doesn’t feel qualified?
  • Are you part-way there and in need of inspiration?

In this 5-WEEK SERIES of 90-minute live classes, learn to tame the chaos of memory into the art of memoir. Find your voice as you learn to write from your heart, create memorable scenes, and bring your characters to life. Classes will include lectures, Q & A, writing practice, daily prompts and a community of support for your work and process.

“Captivating and structured just right,

the class opened my mind to a different way of writing.”

“I was pleased to find I could dip into a tender place and write.”

“Thanks to this class, my work has been published!”

“I was able to write about what has haunted me for 25 years.”


Catharine H. Murray, MFA, is an author, editor, writing guide and book coach. Her memoir, Now You See the Sky (Akashic Books, 2018), topped Portland’s Best-Seller list for Non-fiction in January, 2019. Murray leads online classes and workshops to help people use writing as a tool for healing. She is trained as a Traumatic Incident Facilitator and works one-on-one to assist clients in working through grief and trauma. Venues for her talks and workshops have included Ocean Park Writers’ Conference, Harvard University, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Maine State Prison, and the University of New England. Murray earned her BA from Harvard University and her MFA in Creative Writing at USM’s Stonecoast Writing Program.