English 290NF - Spring, 2014

Seminar in Creative Writing of Non-Fiction

Class Information

Instructor: Freed, Lynn
Time: R 4:10-7:00
Location: 156 Voorhies

Description

This is an advanced nonfiction workshop, concentrating on the analysis both of assigned texts, and of two or three, student manuscripts per week. Each student will be responsible for submitting, for class discussion, two pieces of new non-fiction, to a maximum length of 20 pages each, or one new piece and a major rewrite.

The most popular form of contemporary non-fiction is the personal essay, often in the form of memoir. But there are also adventure essays, ruminations on works of art, reviews, family histories, travel writing, and myriad other forms and variations. For some essays, research is a necessary and integral factor; for others, the research is contemplative.

Each week we will read and discuss assigned essays, or excerpts of longer works, in order to gain an idea of the form and its possibilities. Exercises will be assigned both for spontaneous writing in class, and for submission the following week.

Grading

One third class participation and exercises, one third assigned reading, one third submitted writing.

Texts

A READER