P.E.I. singer songwriter teaches memoir writing after hers becomes bestseller

Singer, songwriter, and now memoirist Tara MacLean is sharing just a little more of herself, teaching others how to tell their own stories.

Lay Here in the Dark is one of the songs on MacLean’s album “Sparrow,” a companion to her recently released memoir, “Song of the Sparrow."

Her pandemic written book has become a bestseller, more than MacLean said she could ever imagine.

“These ghosts arise and you have to learn how to deal with them,” said MacLean. “So writing a memoir, was actually, very much for me, it’s different for everyone, was a process of excavation and looking at things, and writing it down, and letting it go.”

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MacLean held a workshop at the University of Prince Edward Island this weekend, “Writing with Ghosts - A Guide to Excavating Memories”.

MacLean said she hopes to show people that the most important part of writing a memoir is to get the first draft down on paper, no matter how raw.

She said it’s just for you, so write honestly, completely, and free from judgement.

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