Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A lecture with author Sheila Kohler on how to draw inspiration from family dynamics and memories to craft authentic, compelling stories and unforgettable characters.
Filmed on 8/4/2025 with a live audience both in person and on Zoom.
Delve into the intricate process of crafting characters inspired by life and family with Sheila Kohler, author of Once We Were Sisters. Drawing from her poignant memoir about the bond with her late sister and their turbulent family history, Kohler lectures on the ethics, challenges, and transformative potential of writing from personal experience. She shares insights into evoking vivid, complex characters from family relationships and histories, blending storytelling with an exploration of memory and imagination.
About the speaker:
Sheila Kohler is the author of eleven novels, three collections of short stories and a memoir. Her work has been translated widely abroad and has been awarded many prizes including the O.Henry twice. She has taught creative writing at Princeton since 2007. She was a fellow at the Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers and a frequent visiting writer at the American Academy of Rome. Her novel Cracks has been filmed with Jordan Scott and Ridley Scott as directors and was recently reissued by Open Road.
Evenings with an Author is generously sponsored by GRoW @ Annenberg.
A lecture with author Sheila Kohler on how to draw inspiration from family dynamics and memories to craft authentic, compelling stories and unforgettable characters.
Filmed on 8/4/2025 with a live audience both in person and on Zoom.
Delve into the intricate process of crafting characters inspired by life and family with Sheila Kohler, author of Once We Were Sisters. Drawing from her poignant memoir about the bond with her late sister and their turbulent family history, Kohler lectures on the ethics, challenges, and transformative potential of writing from personal experience. She shares insights into evoking vivid, complex characters from family relationships and histories, blending storytelling with an exploration of memory and imagination.
About the speaker:
Sheila Kohler is the author of eleven novels, three collections of short stories and a memoir. Her work has been translated widely abroad and has been awarded many prizes including the O.Henry twice. She has taught creative writing at Princeton since 2007. She was a fellow at the Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers and a frequent visiting writer at the American Academy of Rome. Her novel Cracks has been filmed with Jordan Scott and Ridley Scott as directors and was recently reissued by Open Road.
Evenings with an Author is generously sponsored by GRoW @ Annenberg.
