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.