Writing Our Lives

Andrea (Andy) Gilats

Split Rock Arts Program co-founder and author

As we savor the hard-earned pleasures of later life, writing the stories of our lives can help us recall what we would otherwise have forgotten, and enable us to more deeply appreciate both our own stories and those of others. 

The workshop will explore how to transform your memories, including those that have faded with time, into lively true stories. It will give you ways to recall and describe some of your most memorable experiences, life lessons, and attachments. And it will help show you how to reflect on them; how to express how you felt, then and now, about the twists and turns of your life; and how to connect your stories to the values and beliefs you want to pass on. In the end, the most indelible gift we can give to our children, our grandchildren, our communities, and the wider world, is the gift of allowing them to know us.

Our presenter, UMRA member Andrea “Andy” Gilats, PhD, is an award-winning writer, educator, artist, and former yoga teacher who created and directed lifelong learning programs at the University of Minnesota for 34 years, including the legendary Split Rock Arts Program and Encore Transitions: Preparing for Post-Career Life.

After you register, a link to this Zoom event will be sent one day prior to the event and in your confirmation email.  

If you have questions, contact the reservationist.