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Collage Memoir
“Building a Story from Small Pieces”
Collage Memoir
Building a Story from Small Pieces
In-person, one-day creative workshop
Leigh’s Studio | White Rock, BC, Canada
March 28 | 10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Fee: $150 (all-inclusive)
Limited to 8 participants
This intimate, hands-on workshop invites you to explore memoir through collage and decoupage, transforming personal memories into a tangible keepsake.
Rather than beginning with a blank page, we will work with fragments—images, words, letters, photographs, and ephemera that carry personal meaning. Through a guided decoupage process, you will create one finished object—a candle, small vase, or plate—that becomes a physical expression of your story.
A collage memoir approach embraces non-linear storytelling. It allows meaning to emerge through juxtaposition, layering, and intuition, honoring the way memory actually works: in pieces, impressions, and moments.
This workshop is for you if:
You feel called to tell your story but feel overwhelmed by where or how to begin
You are curious about memoir beyond traditional narrative structure
You are drawn to creative, tactile processes and symbolic storytelling
You want to make something meaningful with your hands, not just your words
The experience:
A gentle introduction to collage memoir as a narrative form
Participants are encouraged to bring photos, letters, cards and ephemera that I will transfer onto tissue prior to class.
Step-by-step instruction in beginner-friendly decoupage techniques
Dedicated studio time to create one completed object that holds your own personalized story
A small-group setting (limited to 8) allowing for individual attention and meaningful conversation
You do not need to be a writer or an artist. This is a beginner-level workshop designed for those who are starting a memoir, feeling stuck, or seeking a fresh and liberating approach to life storytelling or just wanting to learn the art of decoupage using their own meanful images and ephemera.
The $150 workshop fee includes:
All art and decoupage materials
One finished object (candle, small vase, or plate)
A catered lunch
Refreshments provided throughout the day
You will leave with:
A finished, functional art object - a vase, candle or plate.
infused with personal meaning
BONUS each participant will create a soul stone commemorating a present pet or one from the past.
A new way of thinking about memoir and memory
Greater confidence in working with fragments, symbolism, and story
Beginners knowledge about the art of decoupage.
This workshop is not about perfection or chronology.
It is about building a story from small pieces—and discovering what they reveal when placed together beautifully!
All pieces are waterproof and can be used as a real candle, vase or plate.
What’s Your Story?
Guided Autobiography
LEVEL 1
Guided Autobiography 1: Write your Life Story, Two Pages at a Time | Extended Learning
ONLINE: January 27th six weeks online UBC. SOLD OUT
We all have a personal story worth sharing. Even if you have never left your hometown, you have taken forks in the road that have made your journey unique. Your Life Story is as individual as sea glass and just as collectible. It all begins with you. Writing your memoir helps you to identify the threads and themes in your life and make sense of what you’ve lived.Some of us may wish to leave a legacy, a recorded history for future generations.
Write Your Memoir
We all have our reasons for wanting to write our story. You may want to leave a legacy for your children or grandchildren. Stories for those not yet born, but left behind so they will know you intimately long after you are gone. Some of you are going through a transition, be that retirement or empty nesting. These life challenges make us seek a new direction, and a better sense of who we are, and where we are headed. Recalling and chronicling important milestones of your lives through the act of writing, and then sharing within the small intimate group setting is at the heart of the guided autobiography philosophy.
You may have started a memoir, but keep putting if off, or putting it down, finding it hard to kick start the idea on your own. Writing and sharing life stories with others is an ideal way to find new meaning in life and to put life events into perspective. Enlivened and empowered, you will feel a new sense of direction and a deeper appreciation for hearing stories that speak to the human frailty in us all. Do your best writing alone and with others, and cultivate new and lasting friendships and relationships.
KIND WORDS
“Leigh is an amazing teacher, with the ability to share her life experiences and wisdom with a cohort of older students. In six short weeks she was able to connect with each person in the class and to assist each one to deal with the issues they identified as being difficult for them at this time. Thanks to Leigh for an exceptional course!!
-Pat S
“Leigh was engaging, informative, and had thoughtful feedback for each submission. The course helped me to reflect and write about ideas and issues that I hadn't reflected on in such depth before.” - Renné V.
Guided Autobiography (GAB) is a structured approach that involves delving into one's life story with the guidance of a trained facilitator. It offers individuals an opportunity to deeply reflect on and chronicle significant life experiences, enabling them to gain valuable insight, perspective, and a richer understanding of their personal journey.
New Beginnings: A Season of Significance
SFU +55 Learners March 2- April 13th 2026 10:00-12:00 PST. CLASS SOLD OUT
Next class Fall 2026.
Who exactly are you when your past identity (professional, spouse, parent, caregiver) no longer defines you? How are you planning to find meaning and purpose in your next chapter?
Whether you’re new to navigating retirement, seeking new inspiration or ready to share your legacy, this course offers tools, support and space to flourish. Building on LIB449 The Wisdom Years, we’ll explore how to embrace change and learn strategic exercises to design a post-work life.
Over six weeks you’ll release outdated roles, embrace your evolving identity and design a meaningful next chapter.
STARTS September 12th, 2025 9:30am SFU Harbour Center REGISTER HERE
Micro Memoir- one day Workshop
“Omission is a Form of Creation”
Creating the 100-word story is a great exercise for Guided Autobiography students to learn to tell the story by what's left out. In this one day intensive workshop, we will learn how brevity creates a different narrative by telling a story with much omitted. This is an excellent exercise to make every word count, without the pressure of making every sentence perfect. The tiny story borders on poetry and teaches writers how to rip the epiphany out of memory.
KIND WORDS
“Leigh Morrow magically created an environment that relaxed people enough to be vulnerable and share relevant feelings and experiences through their writings that transformed a group of strangers into trusted individuals. I was very sorry to see this class end.”
-Todd R
“This class made me think I could actually write about my history/experience, etc. The structure breaks topics into manageable pieces. You write each week, but not too much. Just enough to get you started and thinking about what else you could write about. The biggest surprise for me was how the weekly writing assignments prompted so many experiences, feelings, impressions that I hadn't thought of in years.”
— Patricia A.
Writing Salons
Writing on home
Six-Week Course: Developing the Narratives of Home
Online StartiNG 2026 TBA
One Day Guided Autobiography Workshop
An introduction to Guided Autobiography for students who are curious. This course is offered once a year in person. UBC extended Learning will be offering this in August 2026. …….Check back for registration.
The Wisdom Years will be offered again in the fall 2026. Check back for registration link.
The years after age 55 are often described as our “wisdom years,” yet many of us don’t feel sagacious or enlightened. We often ask ourselves, “What gives my life meaning and purpose?” “How can I reignite passion and align my life with matters most to me?” “What do I have left to do?” Through writing and sharing using the Guided Autobiography method, we’ll reflect on this period of our lives, focusing on six wisdom themes. We'll challenge assumptions about aging and create an actionable roadmap for the coming years to develop a renewed sense of purpose and legacy.
KIND WORDS
“MANY thanks to Leigh. I now have a new and better way to finish my wisdom years. I feel empowered- I feel optimistic.-A great experience!
- Susan R
Kind Words
“GAB was a fantastic experience delivered in a supportive and engaging environment by compassionate and well-trained facilitators. The program encouraged me to reflect on my life, to put major experiences in perspective, and to succinctly and creatively write my legacy. Though I do not yet know when and how I will share my store, the process itself was a cathartic, healing, and inspirational journey!”
— Darlene S.“
MEET Leigh Morrow
Leigh Morrow
Certified GAB Trainer/ Facilitator
Decoupage Artist and Teacher
I consider my job as a GAB teacher, to be a complete privilege. Hearing my students narratives and helping them navigate through these memories is the greatest gift I could receive.
This is my IKIGAI, as I often tell my students.
I became certified by the Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies in California 2017 to teach and train students in the guided autobiography method, and teach both in-person and online courses from several of my favourite places in the world. I serve as Vice President on the non-profit Board of Directors for The Birren Center. You can read more about the work the board does here.
Leigh is an amazing teacher, with the ability to share her life experiences and wisdom with a cohort of older students. In six short weeks she was able to connect with each person in the class and to assist each one to deal with the issues they identified as being difficult for them at this time. Thanks to Leigh for an exceptional course!! - Linn.T