Eliciting stories—how to talk to your loved ones about the past w/ Margaret Juhae Lee

Sunday August 17th, 2025 11AM—1PM Pacific over Zoom
(A recording will be made available to all registrants for a limited period afterwards.)

"Even though I am the journalist, the one with the tape recorder who has traveled across the ocean to interview her, it is Halmoni who asks the first question. 'Why?' she says, her unsmiling eyes staring into mine. 'Why do you want to know about painful things?'"- from Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History.

In this workshop, we will explore how to approach and speak to loved ones about the past, especially when painful memories are involved. Designed for writers in all genres, we will delve into creative approaches to opening up real (and imagined) conversations with family members, in particular, reticent elders—and even those who are no longer with us. A combination of writing exercises and practical advice from a seasoned journalist, this offering focuses on eliciting stories from those who might not want to remember, including ourselves.

(Photo credit: Grace Oh)

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Pricing:

The following payment model is inspired by and borrowed from the payment model of Bayo Akomolafe’s class, We Will Dance With Mountains: Into the Cracks.

This workshop offers a sliding scale based on your relative financial standing. In an effort to reflect disparity in economic condition and access to wealth, the following payment system is designed for those with more wealth to help cover the costs of those with less access to wealth and resources. We trust your discernment of your current financial situation and how you fit into the global economic context.

As you decide what amount to pay, please consider your present-day financial situation governed by income, but also the following factors: historical discrimination faced by your peoples; your financial wealth (retirement/savings/investments); your access to income and financial wealth, both current and anticipated (how easily could you earn more income compared to other people in your community, country, and the world; are you expecting an inheritance); people counting on your financial livelihood including dependents and community members; the socio-economic conditions of your locale (relative to other places in your country and in the world); your relationship to food & resource scarcity.

$200 Partner

$125 Supporter (Note: This amount reflects the “real” value of this course.)

$75 Companion

$40 Friend

Scholarships are also still available for anyone needing further financial assistance. Please email Daniel at registration@corporealwriting.com for more info, or if you are feeling challenged in any way by the financial requirements of participation.

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Margaret Juhae Lee is the author of Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History (Melville House), which chronicles her family's search for information about her grandfather, a student revolutionary in colonial Korea who died when her father was a baby. The book is organized around three long-form interviews she conducted with her grandmother, who raised two children on her own and lived through the tumult of 20th century Korea. A former Books & the Arts editor at The Nation magazine, she has written for The Nation, Newsday, Elle, ARTnews, Writer’s Digest, and The Rumpus, among other publications.