Jenna McGuiggan is a returning HippoCamp attendee and speaker, and we’re so excited that she’ll once again be leading a preconference workshop about “writing into the heart of your story.” (At the time this post was published, Aug. 4, there are 13 seats left!)
We asked Jenna a few questions about her involvement with HippoCamp this year.
HM: Tell us a little about your involvement in HippoCamp this year. What are you most excited to share during your pre-conference workshop?
JM: I’m excited to facilitate a pre-conference workshop called Write into the “Heart” of Your Story. When we write true stories, we often tend to get stuck in one of two places: our heads or our hearts. Our minds help us to report the facts of what happened, and our emotions help us to make sense of those events. Both of those are good, but we need to access both modes if we want to to turn real life into art on the page. We’ll explore specific ways to integrate memory, ideas, thoughts, research, and feelings to write true stories that resonate with readers.
Why do you love true stories?
I love true stories because they’re abundant; there are true stories waiting to be told everywhere you look. The 19th Century Scottish poet Alexander Smith wrote, “The world is everywhere whispering essays, and one need only be the world’s amanuensis.” An “amanuensis” is someone who is employed to write from dictation or to copy a manuscript. As writers, our job is to listen for the stories, to find them — and to make them. We do all three when we write true stories.
What made you decided to submit a proposal and, ultimately, participate in HippoCamp as a speaker?
I’ve attended and presented twice before at HippoCamp. It’s one of the best writing conferences I’ve been to. The content is interesting and useful, the people are smart and friendly, and the whole experience leaves me feeling energized and inspired to write!
Attendees can learn more about you on our speaker’s page, of course, but there’s more to you than that bio! Share a fun fact with us, something we may be surprised to know.
My fun fact used to be that I played roller derby, but a lot of people know that about me now.
Aside from preparing for HippoCamp 2018 (of course!), what are you working on? Any upcoming or recent projects you can share?
I had great fun creating an interview in the form of an “online survey” for Kim Adrian, editor of *The Shell Game: Writers Play with Borrowed Forms*, which is an anthology of essays written as everything from crossword puzzle clues to an essay comprised solely of footnotes.
Essay Daily published a few hundred writers’ takes on “What Happened on June 21, 2018.” It was a surprisingly rich prompt, and it’s fascinating to see how so many of us spent that single day.
Since you’ll also be attending the conference, what are you most looking forward to learning or doing when you’re not wearing your “speaker hat?”
I’m really looking forward to the StorySlam (including maybe getting to tell a story on stage!).
We love introducing Lancaster to attendees. What are you looking forward to about your visit or, since you’ve been here before, what would you recommend?
Definitely check out the Central Market, it’s so good! I’ve heard there are some good coffee shops and bookstores in town, and I want to find time to visit a few of those.
***
Thank you, Jenna! We can’t wait for your workshop attendees to arrive and learn from you!
And, reader, register to reserve your place today.
There are 0 comments