Editor and writing coach Barbara Burt will lead a variety of memoir-writing workshops beginning in April and continuing through the summer. Under the umbrella of “From Memory to Memoir,” these will take place in various locations in and around Lincoln County.

With a firm belief in the power of storytelling, Burt works with writers (and those who don’t yet consider themselves writers) in workshops culminating in published books and public readings. In 2019, she has added to the workshop calendar and expanded the offerings.

Among these is a workshop that will be held at the Boothbay Harbor Congregational Church’s library on Wednesday mornings for eight weeks beginning in April. This workshop is for writers of any level who wish to capture and hone stories of their life to share with others.

Another workshop this spring is planned in partnership with therapist Lisa Beth Hammer, and is specifically geared toward parents who have adult children with current or previous addiction issues. That workshop will run for six Tuesday evenings and will be held at Inn Along the Way’s Chapman Farm in Damariscotta. It’s entitled “Reimagining Our Stories: Parenting in the Wake of Addiction.” A member of the Transformative Language Arts Network, Burt hopes that by processing this difficult parenting challenge through writing about it, parents will find a new perspective and a sense of healing.

In late June, Burt will begin a series of workshops she’s calling “Writing on a Summer Evening” at the Merry Barn on River Road in Edgecomb. Owner Stephanie McSherry is in the process of turning the famed Merry Barn into a literacy center, and Burt is thrilled to be able to set her workshops in that historic location, adding to the Merry Barn’s literacy offerings.

In another evocative location, from July 8-12 Burt will lead a weeklong memoir-writing workshop called “Writing in the Gardens” at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. There, she and the workshop participants will use the sights, textures, and scents of the surrounding environment to explore buried recollections and release creativity. The week will culminate in a public reading of newly-written stories at the Gardens.

Other summer events include a public reading at the Seagull Shop and Restaurant at Pemaquid Point to benefit Inn Along the Way, and an appearance at the annual Books in Boothbay festival at the Boothbay Railway Village.

Each year, participants in From Memory to Memoir workshops can elect to have some of their work published in an annual anthology. The volume from 2018, “Writing Our Secrets,” contains 15 stories and poems written in workshops last year. It is available at local libraries and Sherman’s Book Stores in Boothbay Harbor and Damariscotta.

To learn more or to sign up for a workshop, writers can visit www.Memory2Memoir.net or contact Burt at memory2memoir@barbspen.com.