HOW IT WORKS
You work in a small group capped at eight students. Each week, I’ll guide you to write two-pages on a particular theme. I’ll prepare priming questions that evoke memories and events, and also teach you skills to enhance your storytelling and writing. Each week you’ll have the opportunity to share your story with the group, which is fundamental to GAB. Why? Because connecting with one another on journeys of self-discovery allows you to gain greater appreciation and meaning of your life and the lives of others. No writing experience necessary!
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
- Do you think of the flow of your life as typical of most people or is it unusual? In what ways?
-
Describe a time in your life when you asked yourself: what is the meaning of this? What did you learn about yourself and life from this experience?
- Was there ever a time you took the less traveled road? Something unexpected, unpopular, or out of the ordinary? What kind of impact did this decision have?
FOUNDATIONAL THEMES
Guided Autobiography 1
-
Branching Points
-
Family
-
Health
-
Navigating Differences
-
Life's Work or Career/Money
-
Finding My Own Power
-
Life Meaning
-
Growth and Change
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
-
Improved self-esteem and confidence
-
Better communication—on the written page , with loved ones, with your community
-
Deeper empathy for others
-
Pages of your life story…a treasured keepsake
-
Content that could find its way into a book
-
Greater understanding of where you are and where you want GO in life
"We all need gurus to guide us, and Nancy Sharp has become mine as I strive to find meaning in my life story, and share it with loved ones."
- Leland Rudofsky
“I feel like this class has helped to restore my voice again after feeling cut off from others and my community. I love the opportunity to reflect on my experiences. This class has been a lifeboat for me.”
- Roberta Rosen
"What a rich and meaningful experience. I'm learning so much, and loving the whole process."
- Vicki Dansky
"Viewing my life as a journey and not so much 'good' or 'bad,' helped me feel more resilient. This also gave me the strength to accept others just the way they are."
-Heidi Badaracco
Upcoming Workshops
Gift Certificates
If you have received a gift certificate, please choose a workshop date and time above and email your preference to [email protected].
For Groups, Businesses, and Special Events
I am always happy to customize Guided Autobiography Classes for groups and special events. Email me at [email protected] to learn more about how I can help you or your business enhance a conference, retreat, reunion, club or association meeting.
About Nancy Sharp
Nancy Sharp holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College and is a certified instructor in Guided Autobiography. Nancy’s prizewinning, bestselling memoir Both Sides Now: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Bold Living is an unforgettable portrait of the surprising turns life takes, and the resilience Nancy summoned in order to keep stepping forward.
Nancy is also the author of the picture book Because the Sky is Everywhere. Her work has been published in several essay anthologies, and articles, essays, columns, and letters by her have appeared in The New York Times, Next Avenue, The Huffington Post, Kate Couric's Wake-Up Call, journals for the American Academy of Psychotherapists and the University of Colorado Hospital’s Center for Bioethics and the Humanities, and elsewhere.
Nancy writes a regular column on caregiving and resilience for the Cancer Support Community, and has guest lectured at the Lighthouse Writers Workshop, Regis University's MFA Program, The New School, New York's 92nd Street Y, and to businesses and groups nationwide.
“Eloquent and fiercely hopeful.”
- Kirkus Reviews
“Nancy Sharp’s honesty and hard-earned wisdom
make this book essential reading
for anyone facing adversity—which is all of us.”
- Ann Hood, New York Times bestselling author
