Walk & Talk Memoir Workshop
What We’re Doing Together
We are doing memoirs — capturing the stories people have been telling all their lives to friends, lovers, and family, but rarely write down. With the Walk & Talk method, participants tell a true story out loud, then we use AI to shape it into a clear, readable memoir while keeping the original voice and feeling.
The Walk & Talk Method
In this workshop, your story begins by speaking into a phone while you walk around the table. Walking helps — it eases self‑consciousness and lets memory flow. Your story doesn’t need to be tidy or in order; it can be rambling, incomplete, or rough — we’ll shape it later. Just tell what happened, who was there, what it felt like, and what the memory has meant to you.
Important Note: Pause briefly every couple of minutes so ChatGPT can reply and keep the session active — then continue where you left off.
When the Walk & Talk is finished, we close the chat session on the phone and reopen the same session on the computer.
Shaping the Story into Memoir
On the computer, we use ChatGPT to turn it into a memoir entry. The goal isn’t to change it, but to clean up the prose, keep the natural voice, and make the flow easier to follow. A typical prompt might look like this:
Prompt: Turn this spoken story into a memoir-style narrative of about 600 words. Keep the storyteller’s tone, voice, and emotional truth. Clean up the grammar, remove filler phrases, and organize the story so it flows clearly — but do not add events or invent details. Keep the language human, simple, and real. Give the piece a short title. Stay in chat.
Once prompted it takes a minute or two. Then we simply choose to have the story read aloud so everyone can hear it. This shared listening is often the most magical part of the workshop — what began as scattered memories returns as a clear, living story.
Discussion: At this point we will lead a couple minute discussion to determine how well it did or didn’t work. We are trying to determine if we need to ask ChatGPT to re-write with and adjusted prompt.
Revising for Truth, Accuracy and Overall Tone
Once read aloud we look for any factual mistakes, missing details, or changes in tone that don’t feel right. If something needs to be adjusted, we simply re‑prompt ChatGPT with the revision.
Prompt: Please correct this: it was my sister Anna (not Anne), and the trip happened in Duluth, not Superior. Keep the tone warm and reflective, and add a touch of gentle humor where it fits naturally — nothing slapstick, just human. Stay in chat.
Chat quickly returns a new draft to read aloud. Most first versions are already close, needing only small clarifications or trims. When we’re satisfied, we ask Chat to “place this into a canvas,” which creates a clean editing page where final tweaks are easy to make.
Fine-Tuning in Canvas
In Canvas, you can highlight a single word, a sentence, or even a whole paragraph, and a small prompt box appears so you can ask for a specific change right on the spot.
You might say things like “make this section flow more smoothly,” “lighten the tone here,” or “find a more thoughtful word to replace this one.”
Canvas isn’t for rewriting the whole piece — it’s a gentle way to polish the language while keeping the story’s original meaning and voice intact.
This concludes a session and we move on to the next Walk & Talk participant.
Taking Turns in the Workshop
In the workshop, people take turns sharing a story while the group listens with care. Some simply watch and learn; others join in when the moment feels right. Anyone who wants a turn uses the Walk & Talk method to tell their story into a phone, and together we shape it into memoir. The rhythm is gentle — one story at a time — and there’s never any pressure to speak.
And if you do choose to share, you’ll find yourself surrounded by people who are already quietly cheering you on.
Why This Matters — And What You’ll Take With You
By shaping spoken memories with a little technical help, we honor real life. This isn’t about perfection — it’s about voice, meaning, and preserving the moments that shaped us.
Learning a Method You Can Use Again and Again
The biggest gift of the workshop isn’t just one finished story — it’s learning a repeatable way to capture many more. Once you experience the Walk & Talk method and see how it becomes memoir, you’ll understand how easily you can continue gathering stories from your own life whenever you’re ready.
Continuing the Work on Your Own — Using AI Memory
If you decide to keep going, having a ChatGPT Plus account allows you to turn on Memory, so the system can remember your voice, style, and ongoing themes over time. That means as you write additional memoir entries, your past stories — and the tone of your storytelling — is carried forward.
A Gentle — and Surprisingly Fast — Way to Capture Your Life
Many people are surprised by the speed of this process. A story that might have taken weeks or months to write can often be shaped in an afternoon. Some people even find they can create several memoir pieces in a day — without ever feeling rushed or pressured.
Care, Safety & Respect for Your Story
Consent and Emotional Safety
You are always in control of your story. You decide what to share, what to change, and what to leave out. If at any point a memory feels too raw or uncomfortable, you can pause, redirect, or stop. Listening is every bit as welcome as speaking.
Privacy and Security
Stories shared in the workshop are treated with care and respect. We ask everyone present to honor the privacy of others and not retell someone else’s story outside the room without permission. Digital drafts can be deleted at the end of the session if requested.
A Note About AI and Writing
Writers sometimes worry that using AI may blur authorship. In this workshop, the story — the memory, the voice, the meaning — is always yours. The tool simply helps shape spoken words into clearer writing, the way a careful editor might. If you’re a writer who prefers not to use AI, we respect that completely. For everyone else, this can be a surprisingly humane and creative partner.
Who This Workshop Is For
This workshop is for anyone who has a story worth remembering — artists, neighbors, elders, newcomers, storytellers, and people who never thought of themselves as writers at all. If you have a cherished memory and a voice, you are welcome here.
Accessibility
The Welcome Center is fully accessible, including a wheelchair ramp and accessible restrooms. If you have specific accessibility needs, please let us know — we will do everything we can to make the space and process comfortable for you.
About the Facilitator
The workshop is led by Remo Campopiano, a nationally renowned artist and community builder who has spent decades helping people find meaning in their stories, art, and shared history. This project grows out of his lifelong interest in memory, collaboration, and the ways technology can support — rather than replace — human creativity.
Participation, Cost & Practical Details
Cost and Participation
There is a small fee to help support the space and ongoing program: $20 to join the circle, and an additional $60 for a Walk & Talk session and memoir creation. Some people come just to listen and learn; others choose to participate when they feel ready. No one is pressured — the invitation is always gentle.
Where & When
The Walk & Talk Memoir Workshop takes place at the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District Welcome Center, 904 14th Ave NE, initially as a monthly gathering — with the possibility of becoming weekly if interest grows.
Note: we are just beginning to develop this workshop. Email me if you are interested in helping or attending.