Reading and Writing Creative Nonfiction (208-CN-14)
Instructors
Sarah Fay
Dr. Fay’s writing appears in The New York Times, TIME, The New Republic, The Atlantic, Bookforum, The American Scholar, BOMB, The Iowa Review, The Rumpus, McSweeney’s, The Believer, and The Paris Review, where she served as an advisory editor. She is the recipient of the Hopwood Award for Literature, as well as grants and fellowships from Yaddo, the Mellon Foundation, the Center for Book Arts, the Poetry Center of Chicago, the Puffin Foundation, the Vermont Studio Center, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and the MacDowell Colony, among others. She has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, an M.A. in English, and a Ph.D. in nineteenth- and twentieth-century American Literature. She currently teaches in the English departments at DePaul University and Northwestern University.
Meeting Info
Online: Tues 6:15PM - 9:15PM
Overview of class
This course is for students who want to improve their writing skills and explore the fundamentals of creative nonfiction. Creative nonfiction borrows techniques from fiction—strong characters, captivating narration, and compelling scenes—and bears a certain allegiance to journalistic practices—a faithfulness to "the facts," sharp descriptions, and dialogue that rings true. By learning the craft of creative nonfiction, you'll discover how to interest, amuse, entertain, move, persuade, and instruct your readers.
In this course, you'll take your writing to a new level. The focus will be on three forms of creative nonfiction: the personal essay, think pieces (which is most of the nonfiction you encounter on the internet), and the lyric essay. You'll discover how to read as writers, learning from the old masters and new voices. Each week, you'll experiment with a new form and submit a written assignment. All classes will be conducted in seminar and workshop formats.
Registration Requirements
This class may not be audited or taken P/N. Advanced composition class and strong basic writing skills highly recommended.
Learning Objectives
identify key subgenres of creative nonfiction and its place in American literature;
describe how cultural dimensions—such as ability, ethnicity, and race—appear in the genre of creative nonfiction;
use a precise critical vocabulary to analyze works of literature;
offer verbal and written analyses of students' writing;
practice seminar and workshop behavior (including class discussion, active listening, participation) to communicate ideas;
practice independent intellectual and creative inquiry;
demonstrate an enhanced working knowledge of the processes of revision, editing, and proofreading.
Teaching Method
Discussion
Presentations
Writing assignments
Class participation
Readings
Seminar
In-class critique
Written critique
Evaluation Method
Attendance, preparation, and participation
Reading summaries, discussion questions, and responses
Presentation and small-group discussion
Submission of all in-class writing assignments
Final submission
Class Materials (Required)
Confirm course texts and materials by contacting instructor or viewing course Canvas site or University bookstore website.
Class Attributes
Synchronous:Class meets remotely at scheduled time