Advanced Reading and Writing Creative Nonfiction I (308-A-14)

Instructors

Sarah Fay

Meeting Info

TBA: Tues 6:15PM - 9:15PM

Overview of class

In this advanced creative nonfiction course, you'll explore creative nonfiction and the incredible opportunities available to emerging writers in new media in 2025, particularly on Substack. The course will give you an overview of the history of creative nonfiction and where we are today. You'll learn about traditional forms, like the personal essay and the lyric essay, and examine how they work on new media, particularly a blog/newsletter. Craft techniques like structure, exposition, and theme will be central to the weekly exercises, as will voice and storytelling techniques. This course also takes as its premise that "writing is revising," as Papa Hemingway said, and that revision is "the best part," as the great Toni Morrison said. It also presumes that revision distinguishes a dabbler from a writer. We'll look at the difference between revising and editing. (Spoiler: we revise for content and edit for style.) Proofreading will be discussed, and we'll explore topics such as the differences between developmental and line editing, the purpose of style guides, why real authors never "rewrite," and the rampant abuse of exclamation points.

Schedule Note: this course will meet remotely, with weekly remote synchronous sessions held on the scheduled day.

Registration Requirements

Prerequisite: ENGLISH 208 or permission of instructor. Students should have previous creative writing experience in an academic setting. Students who have not completed ENGLISH 208 should obtain instructor's consent and confirmation of appropriate writing experience. Please send an email to the professor with your writing background to request a permission number once registration for winter quarter has opened.

May not be audited or taken P/N.

Class Materials (Required)

Confirm course texts and materials by contacting instructor or viewing course Canvas site or University bookstore website.

Sonali Deraniyagala, Wave, Vintage, 2013 (978-0345804310)

Claudia Rankine, Citizen, Graywolf Press, 2014 (978-1555976903)

All other assigned readings will be available on Canvas or online. The majority have a live link.

Class Attributes

Synchronous:Class meets remotely at scheduled time

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-Requisite: Students must have taken & passed English 208 to enroll.