Reading & Writing Creative Nonfiction (208-0-20)

Instructors

Rachel Webster

Meeting Info

University Hall 018 English: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

In this foundational course in reading and writing creative nonfiction, we will work from memory, observation, and research to craft original and engaging personal essays. Classes will be spent generating material and discussing readings as writers—as people interested in a writer's formal decisions and specific strategies for development. We will read essays by a vibrant and diverse group of writers and study the full aesthetic breadth of the essay, including memoir, meditation, lyric essay, and literary journalism. We will address how the essay creates an artistic space distinct from the worlds of poetry and fiction, and how truth and fact function within creative nonfiction. Throughout this process, you will be doing your own personal writing. These practice writings will then be shaped into polished essays that will be revised under the direction of your instructor and in workshops with your peers. You will finish this course with a foundational understanding of the genre, a widened range as a writer, and a final portfolio of original work.

Class Attributes

Attendance at 1st class mandatory
No Seniors

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration is reserved for English and Creative Writing Students except Seniors until the end of preregistration, after which registration will be open to all students the meet the prerequisites.