In Week 5 of the MemoryLab creative writing workshop, the participants shared diverse narratives exploring various literary styles and themes.

Rita’s fiction, influenced by Italo Calvino’s “Difficult Loves,” blended real-life inspiration with fictional storytelling, while Anilda’s piece delved into societal trauma under dictatorships, examining who controls collective memory. Jona’s hybrid text wove together poetry, prose, and screenplay to tell a deeply personal story, and Vesa’s work combined travel and food writing with social critique, using vivid descriptions of wild strawberries to explore identity.

The group discussions focused on the craft of writing, emphasizing how to interweave multiple narrative threads while maintaining a strong central theme. Key insights included the importance of knowing what to remove or shift to other pieces (a take on “Kill your darlings”), staying true to the theme in nonfiction, and strategically using suspense, shock, and surprise to enhance storytelling.

In Week 6 of the MemoryLab creative writing workshop, Florida’s text demonstrated how to craft a deeply personal nonfiction story by using multiple points of view and narrators to create a mosaic-like narrative, revealing different aspects of a family member and the events surrounding them. The discussion touched on how societal traumas affect not just individuals, but their entire social circles, including family and friends.

Dennis’s piece showcased the potential for a book-length memoir, rich with vivid experiences. This led us to discuss how to manage pacing by slowing down with descriptions or background information, especially when the story becomes too fast-paced, and how to handle narratives that require a lot of contextual details.

The group also explored several craft techniques, such as the use of a unifying theme to tighten a story and the concept of artistic license, which allows writers to explore unconventional themes or styles by drawing inspiration from other artists.

We are deeply grateful for the incredible participants who have enriched this workshop with their constant contributions. Each session has been filled with inspiring stories, thoughtful discussions, and a true sense of creative collaboration. The diversity of perspectives and the willingness to share personal narratives has not only expanded our understanding of memory, identity, and storytelling but has also fostered a warm and supportive community.

Special thanks to Fondacioni 17 for the cozy environment at Rezidenca 17.

In MemoryLab’s Week 4 creative writing workshop, participants explored diverse writing styles and techniques, with a focus on personal storytelling.

Uratë used a strong, humorous voice to tackle personal subjects that are rarely addressed in Kosovar writing, while Artjola and Diona employed non-linear and fragmentary narratives to reflect on life events. Iden used a graphic novel format to examine identity and cultural belonging.

The workshop also covered practical elements such as writing dialogues, choosing appropriate tenses in graphic novels and nonfiction, engaging the reader through tone and voice, and building stories with intimate details and smooth transitions.

In our weekly lecture, participants watched Durim Klaiqi’s short film “reMemBer2.Human,” which explores personal and collective memories using AI tools. Following a discussion, Durim introduced key AI concepts such as latent space, data bias, convolution, and semantic mapping, highlighting their connections to memory. The group then engaged in an exercise to generate AI images based on personal photographs, discovering the capabilities and limitations of AI image generators.

Additionally, Durim demonstrated the use of photogrammetry, a technique for reconstructing past spaces, which he is utilizing in his upcoming film on Kosovo’s stolen artifacts.

Special thanks to Fondacioni 17 for the cozy environment at Rezidenca 17.

On our third week’s first session, we learned the importance of trusting our audience by allowing the writing to speak for itself without over-explaining. A brief but valuable tutorial on line editing introduced us to a skill that will prove essential during revisions.

Additionally, we explored how to ground readers through precise descriptions and vivid scenes, enhancing the immersive quality of our writing. We also discussed Beltinë’s and Elona’s works, which used the structure of a nonfiction prose poem to thoughtfully examine the concept of self-awareness and the journey of “knowing oneself.”

On MemoryLab’s second session of third week, we were joined by guest lecturer Donjetë Murati, who guided us through a deep exploration of memory and its ties to art, history, and collective identity.

We delved into critical questions about who gets to decide what we remember as a society, from the naming of streets to the creation of monuments, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding stolen artifacts.

Donjeta also shed light on the fragility of archives and how memory is imprinted on the spaces we inhabit. We considered the impermanence of memory in the digital age, reflecting on how easily it can vanish from the internet.

The workshop concluded with a speculative writing exercise, where each of us imagined something we’d like to preserve 200 years into the future. The diversity of ideas was so inspiring that some of the pieces may be featured in our upcoming zine, capturing the essence of our shared reflections.

Special thanks to Fondacioni 17 for the cozy environment at Rezidenca 17.

On our second week, we dedicated a session to reviewing our friend’s work. The group engaged in constructive feedback, offering both praise and suggestions for improvement. We focused on narrative elements like voice, structure, and emotional resonance, allowing Wes to see his piece from different perspectives. Each participant contributed thoughtful insights, encouraging Wes to experiment with new techniques and refine his story’s flow.

After the review, we moved into an assignment centered around imitation. The task was to mimic the introduction of a chosen book. Each participant selected a novel or story with a memorable opening and wrote a brief piece using similar stylistic elements—whether that be tone, sentence structure, or atmosphere. On this week’s session, we were happy to have Jona, Rita and Denis share their writing.

Also, in second week’s workshop session, guest lecturer Fatmir Mustafa Karllo shared insights on various art mediums and offered guidance on how participants can enhance their creative ideas. He emphasized the importance of understanding the unique potential each medium offers and how artists can use this knowledge to communicate their ideas more effectively.

Karllo also encouraged participants to experiment outside their comfort zones, suggesting that trying new materials and techniques can lead to unexpected breakthroughs in creativity. He provided practical tips on how to stay inspired, including a mini exercise in which the participants had to conceptualize a memory of theirs, draw it, and talk about it.

Special thanks to Fondacioni 17 for the cozy environment at Rezidenca 17.

On our first session of MemoryLab creative writing workshop, we welcomed participants from the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United States, Albania, and Kosovo.

As StoryLab, we are super excited to have such a multi-disciplinary group that includes architects, linguists, video game designers, law students, artists, sociologists, psychologists, healthcare professionals, computer scientists, technologists, culture workers, and even a very talented high-school student.

During our first writing exercise, we used our own memories as raw material, which resulted in numerous great ideas that could be further developed into full stories.

On our second session, photographer Jetmir Idrizi led the “Photography and Memory” lecture.

Through discussing their previous works, projects, and exhibitions Jetmir tackled topics such as first impressions through photography, the importance or research in photography work, ethics in photography, the issues of follow-up in photojournalism, and more.

During our class exercise, each participant presented a personal photo and a memory associated with it. Each of the stories were worthy of a longer text.

An amazing start to exploring memory through nonfiction and the arts.

Jetmir Idrizi’s previous project “Museum of Bad Memories” served as an inspiration for an idea that workshop participants could possibly implement in our upcoming zine.

Special thanks to Fondacioni 17 for the cozy environment at Rezidenca 17.

Click here for English

StoryLab, ju fton për të aplikuar në një seri punëtorish dhe ligjeratash  5-javore të shkrimit kreativ me fokus në non-fiction, në fund të të cilave pjesëmarrësit do të kenë një shkrim të gatshëm për botim në zinën e ardhshme të StoryLab.

Punëtoritë e MemoryLab do të përqendrohen në hulumtimin e kujtesës si mjet letrar dhe artistik.

Nëse jeni të apasionuar pas memoareve, eseve personale, reportazheve, shkrimeve kritike, trillimeve ose romaneve grafike që përdorin kujtime dhe histori të vërteta/personale — ose ndonjë eksperiment hibrid që i përzien të gjitha — atëherë MemoryLab është vendi për t’i shkruar dhe rafinuar tregimet tuaja.

Thuhet se kujtimet janë lënda e parë për tregime, art, dhe vepra tjera kreative. Por, kujtimet nuk janë statike e të pagabueshme. Sipas studimeve të fundit, sa herë që kujtojmë diçka rrezikojmë ta modifikojmë atë kujtim. Megjithatë, është kjo bashkësia e kujtimeve tona (ndër gjërat tjera) që krijon atë që ne quajmë ndërgjegje.

Pra, kujtimet – qofshin reale ose të imagjinuara – janë mjet i përkryer letrar për rrëfim, personazhe, përshkrime, etj. Dhe mbi të gjitha, kujtimet i japin tregimeve një dorë “vërtetësie”.

 
Koha dhe vendi:

Ky program 5-javor do të përfshijë punëtori të shkrimit kreativ, ligjërata, e diskutime në grup. Punëtoritë dhe ligjëratat do të mbahen fizikisht në Prishtinë.

Për lehtësi të pjesëmarrësve tanë ndërkombëtarë, do të ofrojmë gjithashtu mundësinë për të ndjekur punëtoritë online.

Programi pritet të fillojë në fillim të shtatorit 2024 dhe të përfundojë në mes të tetorit 2024.

Formati:

Punëtoria e shkrimit kreativ do të drejtohet nga Artrit Bytyçi, M.F.A. në Shkrim Kreativ nga the New School në New York City.

Krahas punëtorive, StoryLab do të organizojë gjithashtu një seri ligjëratash, ku do të trajtohen tema që kanë të bëjnë me eksplorimin e mënyrave të përdorimit të kujtesës në letërsi, art, shoqëri, kulturë, etj.

Programi do të zgjasë për rreth tetë seancash, me rreth 10-14 pjesëmarrës, dhe do të takohemi dy herë në javë.

Çfarë të prisni:

Dy javët e para do të fokusohen në artin e non-fiction. Ku do të përfshihen diskutimet dhe ligjëratat mbi zanatin e të shkruarit, eksplorimin e autorëve të ndryshëm, dhe metodat e tyre. Për çdo klasë, pjesëmarrësve do t’u caktohen edhe detyra të shkurtra e lexime.

Gjatë kësaj kohe do të kemi edhe punëtori dhe ligjërata ndërdisiplinare në artin konceptual, sociologji/antropologji, psikologji, shkenca, e fusha tjera që shqyrtojnë kujtesën nga kënde të ndryshme.

Dy javët e fundit do të përqëndrohemi në zanatin e krijimit, ku për çdo takim 2-3 pjesëmarrës do të dërgojnë tekstet e tyre paraprakisht, të cilat do të redaktohen nga pjesëmarrësit e tjerë përmes komenteve, sugjerimeve, dhe kritikave konstruktive.

Tekstet e dërguara mund të jenë në shqip dhe/ose anglisht.

Tekstet nga punëtoria do të mblidhen dhe do të botohen në zinën e StoryLab.

Aplikimi:

Ky program është falas për pjesëmarrësit.

Ju lutemi sigurohuni që të aplikoni përpara afatit: 26 gusht 2024. Afati është zgjatur deri më: 4 shtator 2024.

Klikoni këtu për të plotësuar Aplikimin

Nëse keni ndonjë pyetje, ju lutemi na shkruani në info@storylab.al ose KosovoStoryLab@gmail.com

Ky program u mundësua me mbështetjen e Ministrisë së Kulturës, Rinisë dhe Sportit të Republikës së Kosovës.

(Klikoni këtu për shqip)

StoryLab, invites you to apply for a 5-week series of creative writing workshops and lectures with a special focus on non-fiction, by the end of which participants will have one piece of peer-reviewed writing ready for publication in the upcoming StoryLab zine.

MemoryLab’s program will focus on exploring memory as a literary and artistic device.

If you are passionate about memoirs, personal essays, reportage, criticism, fiction or graphic novels that use memory and true/personal stories, or some hybrid experiment that mixes them all, then MemoryLab is the place where you can write and refine your stories.

It is often said that memories are the raw material for all of our stories, art, and creative works. But, memories are not static and infallible, according to the latest studies, every time we remember something we risk modifying it. Yet, it is a collection of memories (among other things) that creates what we call consciousness.

So, memories – either real or imagined – are a great literary device for narrative, characters, setting, themes, etc. And most of all it makes the stories “true”.

Time and Place:

This 5-week program will feature creative writing workshops, lectures, and group discussions. Workshops and lectures will be held in person in Prishtina.

For the convenience of our international participants, we will also provide an option to follow the workshops online.

The program is expected to start in early September 2024 and end in mid-October 2024.

Format:

The creative writing workshop will be led by Artrit Bytyçi, M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the New School in New York City.

StoryLab will also organize a lecture series alongside the workshops, where we will cover topics related to exploring the ways we use memory in literature, the arts, society, culture, etc.

The program will span for around eight sessions total, with around 10-14 participants, and will meet twice a week.

What to Expect:

The first two weeks will focus on the art of nonfiction. They will feature discussions and lectures on the craft of writing, exploration of various authors, and their methods. For each class, participants will also be assigned readings and short assignments.

During this time, we will also have multidisciplinary workshops and lectures in conceptual art, sociology/anthropology, psychology, sciences, and other intersectional fields.

The last two weeks will focus on the craft, where for each meeting 2-3 students will submit their texts in advance, which will be workshopped by their peers through comments, suggestions, and constructive critiques.

Submitted texts can be in Albanian and/or English.

The texts from the workshop will be collected and published in the StoryLab zine.

Application:

This program is free for the participants.

Please make sure you apply before our deadline: 26 August 2024. The deadline is extended to 4 September 2024.

Click here to fill in the Application

If you have any questions please write to us at info@storylab.al or KosovoStoryLab@gmail.com

This program is made possible with the generous support of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Republic of Kosovo.