For the first time in Taree, the Mid North Coast Writers' Centre has organised a one day life writing course with Australia's foremost life writing teacher, Patti Miller.

The writers' centre, which supports all writers in the region, is offering this opportunity for anyone interested in autobiography and memoir.

The Art and Craft of Life Writing course is designed for people who want to write the story of their own life. It is practical course, with some reading and discussion and lots of writing exercises in an encouraging, creative and friendly atmosphere.

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It will help develop ways of accessing memory and of creating the texture of your life on the page as well as exploring ways of finding the story and how to put it together. You do not have to be a writer already, it is open to everyone.

As Australia's best known life-writing teacher, Patti Miller offers classes all around Australia as well as in Fiji, Bali, Paris, and London, so a course with Miller is a rare opportunity for local writers, or non-writers, as Miller caters for all levels of experience.

As well as teaching life writing, she is the author of nine books herself, including the award winning The Mind of a Thief. Three of her books explore and explain the art and craft of life writing, the latest being Writing True Stories, a comprehensive guide.

To date, nearly 60 of her students have been commercially published and hundreds more have self-published for family and friends.

Patti Miller is passionate about life writing, saying she is fascinated by the way writing can transform a life. She has taught everyone from fashion designers to farmers, mountain climbers to social workers.

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Some of her 'students' include Jenny Kee, Caroline Jones, Margot Antony, Jessica Rowe and Vicky Laveau-Harvie, but for Miller it is not who you are or what you have done, but "your experience of being here in the world".

She says that everyone has a story to write and that there is nothing like the joy of sharing your story with others.

She comes from the country herself, central west NSW, and believes it is important that the stories of country Australians are are written down, for now and for the future.

The Art and Craft of Life Writing will be offered at Club Taree, May 8. Bookings are necessary and places are limited so book early. For more information and bookings, ring 0427240464 or check the writers' centre website midnorthcoastwriterscentre.org/whats-on/.

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