Writing Migration: The Past, and Possible Futures

This two-part workshop explores ways of writing migration through storytelling. Migration is understood broadly: as movement across borders and languages, between generations, social worlds, or imagined futures. Participants may be working with memoir, fiction, essay, poetic prose, or hybrid forms.

Through short readings, discussion, practical craft sessions, and guided writing exercises, we will cover the core elements of fiction and nonfiction storytelling, including point of view, setting, scene, structure, and style. Participants will write, share work in small groups, and receive focused, supportive feedback.

Whether you are writing about your own experience, a family history, or an imagined future shaped by movement and change, this workshop offers practical tools for turning material into narrative.

The workshop is loosely inspired by the exhibition Found in Translation: Seven Rising Female Artists, particularly its attention to translation, continuity, and transformation, but the emphasis throughout is on writing craft rather than exhibition response.

Structure & Approach

Across two extended sessions, participants will combine reading, discussion, writing exercises, and workshopping. The focus is on storytelling fundamentals: how to build scenes, develop voice, work with time, and revise thoughtfully.

Workshop Focus

Workshop 1: Histories, Memory, and Place

Participants begin by working with lived or inherited pasts: places left behind, moments of arrival, family stories, or memories shaped by movement. Attention is given to scene-building, point of view, and grounding narrative in concrete detail.

Workshop 2: Futures, Structure, and Revision

The second session introduces future-oriented writing: imagined journeys, future homes, or possible selves. Participants will explore how past and future can be held together in one text through structure and voice, and will work on revising and shaping a complete draft.

What Participants Will Leave With

• A drafted and partially revised short text
• Practical tools for writing migration narratives across genres
• Experience discussing and workshopping writing in a supportive setting
• Strategies for continuing revision beyond the workshop

Who This Is For

Anyone interested in writing migration stories, whether personal, fictional, or imagined. No prior writing experience required.

What you can expect

• Generative writing exercises grounded in storytelling craft
• Close attention to voice, clarity, and structure
• Space to work with personal material without pressure to explain or confess
• Group discussion and feedback in a supportive setting
• A drafted and partially revised text by the end of the workshop

Email: info@utmt.net