The 36th Flathead River Writers Conference

Thresholds & Frontiers: Writing the Next Best Story

September 26-27, 2026

Hilton Garden Inn
1840 U.S. 93 S, Kalispell, MT 59901
(406) 756-4500

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Registration is set to open in spring, 2026—stay tuned for updates!

2026 conference details coming soon

Friday, September 25, 2026

Masterclass with Robert Petrone

https://cehd.missouri.edu/person/robert-petrone/

Developing the “Internal Narrative” in Memoir Writing

The Workshop: Although it may seem counterintuitive, what matters most in memoir is not “what happened” in someone’s life (the external narrative) but rather the “meaning making” the narrator does in relation to what happened. This meaning making is often referred to as the “internal narrative” and tends to be more challenging for memoirists to develop, particularly in early drafts. In this workshop, we’ll explore this idea of the “internal narrative” within memoir writing. Specifically, we will examine examples of published memoirs, engage in writing activities to develop and integrate the internal narrative into our writing, and grapple with the core question memoirs must center: What meaning have you made of what happened in your life?

Bio: Robert Petrone, Ph.D., is a creative nonfiction writer and an Associate Professor of English Education at the University of Missouri where he teaches classes on creative nonfiction and writing pedagogy. His research and writing focus on rurality, disability, adolescence/ts, and education. He has authored over 40 publications, including 3 books—one of which highlights the experiences of high school English teachers in rural Montana. He is currently revising a coming-of-age memoir, Used Cars, which focuses on his experiences growing up in a large Italian Catholic, New York family amidst parental disability, secrecy, and shame.