“The past can be recovered, its code can be broken; it can be used to add meaning to contemporary life.”

—From the novel Birdsong by Sebastian Faulk

The Family Story Course

Our personal histories are rich, delicate and alive.

A Tailored Approach

Over the past 10 years, I’ve been writing family stories. They’ve been published in magazines, illuminated on buildings, and expanded out into an historical novel (coming soon!). Learn more about me and my work here.

Writing these types of stories is different. In workshops, I’ve watched many come against thick emotional barriers or simply give up when it became too tricky to know how to navigate ethical and personal complexities.

Unlocking and exploring our personal histories is deep and delicate work—and I don’t believe the workshop model is all that helpful. Here’s the author Garth Greenwell on the topic; and here are my own thoughts.

To that end, once a year, I host a weekly gathering during the months of January & February where we dig into the specificities of writing our family stories.

It is designed around:

  • We discuss curated readings and experimental approaches. A day is devoted to “telling it ‘slant” and point-of-view.

  • Tips on how to interview family, investigate themes and events, and find the shape and narrative arc of your story.

  • We dive into ethical dilemmas, perceived truths and untruths.

  • Meet with me 1-on-1 to discuss your project and receive a summary on suggested ways forward.

We focus on generating work, not critique.

Each session is built to grow:

  • the story you feel called to share,

  • confidence in your story’s voice & style,

  • community with fellow writers.

You have a story to tell.

Whether you’re starting a writing project or looking for community and support to keep going, join us to meet fellow writers and generate work that surprises you.

“Nadia unpacks and studies families with startling compassion and intelligence. Family dynamics is a theme and topic that endlessly fascinates me in my own writing, and I always learn something new from Nadia. She has a rare ability to go deep and pull out insights."

—Salma Hussain - novelist, poet, critic

Testimonials

“I’ve written alongside Nadia in a writing group for years and have learned so much from her. A passionate artist and intellectual, she never fails to lead us into deeper conversations. She asks questions that gently encourage and imagine how to push a writing project forward. The manuscript for her debut novel is a daring master class in how to use a family story to inspire a work of fiction.”

- Ann Walmsley, author of The Prison Book Club

“Nadia’s perspective on investigating and writing about family heritage is unique and special. We learned a lot working with her.”

- Jennifer Siripong, Co-Founder Root & Seed

Reserve Your Spot

Small Group Setting, Limited Availability, Once a Year

On Zoom

5-weeks, 1x a week

Mondays, 10-11am (starting Jan 11, 2027)

or

Thursdays, 5:30 - 6:30pm (starting Jan 14, 2027)

$250 CAD (Reserve by Oct 16, 2026 for a $50 discount)

“If a gesture was flung away in the past, you now see it in the possession of another. So I believe something in my mother must rhyme in me. She in her small hall of mirrors and I in mine."

—From the novel Warlight by Michael Ondaatje