Creative Writing: Nonfiction
Class Information
Instructor: Houston, Pam
Time: W 12:10-3:00
Focus: Genre
Description
290NF Spring 2021
Wednesdays: 12:10-3:00
Pam Houston
Office Hours: T/R 1:30-3:00 and by appointment (Wednesday before class works too)
In this class we will explore several subgenres that exist within the extremely broad and unfortunately named category of nonfiction: the lyric essay, the memoir, and political and environmental journalism in particular. Any attempt to define nonfiction is doomed to fail, and simultaneously full of potential. It is the third genre, just getting its legs underneath it, and anything at all might happen. I find that exciting.
We will talk about how to make a beautiful essay as opposed to, say, a beautiful story or poem, and how we decide what material should take which form. We will talk about what we call "truth" in these complex political times, and how it figures into this genre we insist on defining by its negative. As in any class in artistic writing, there will be a great deal of focus on metaphor, lyricism, form and structure. We will discuss artistic choices available to the essayist such as point of view, tense, narrative stance, tone, scene versus summary, dialogue, beginnings and endings, and voice.
Each student will be expected to turn in two new essays or memoir chapters during the course of the quarter and turn in either a revision or a new essay/chapter at the semester's end. There will be reading assignments throughout the quarter and weekly writing exercises early on that will give way to workshop after a few weeks.
Grading
Students will be graded on the quality of the writing assignments and the revision they turn in, as well as on their participation in class discussion of both student work and the assigned reading material.
Texts
How To Write An Autobiographical Novel, Alenander Chee
On Line Essays by Toni Jenson, Lidia Yuknavitch, Kaveh Akbar, Camille Dungy, and others will be assigned, Links will be provided
Aftershocks, Nadia Owusu
What You Have Heard Is True, Carolyn Forche
Heart Berries, Terese Mailhot