What is creative nonfiction? The definition is in its very name: As Lee Gutkind writes, “The word ‘creative’ refers to the use of literary craft, the techniques fiction writers and poets employ to present nonfiction—factually accurate prose about real people and events—in a compelling, vivid, dramatic manner. The goal is to make nonfiction stories read like fiction so that your readers are as enthralled by fact as they are by fantasy.” 

This class is centered around two main beliefs: 1) everyone is a storyteller and 2) fact can be just as compelling as fantasy. With these cornerstones in mind, this class will center around reading contemporary creative nonfiction, learning a vocabulary for discussing the craft of writing and getting a sense of the literary landscape, and writing in several styles and genres of CNF. For the first half of the semester, we will study CNF’s various forms and functions—the essay as meditation, as personal experience, and as cultural criticism, among others. We will also look at the ways in which the essay has become an opportunity for experimentation with how we place stories on a page. The rest of the semester will be focused on everyone creating their own solo-written essays; there will be frequent informal prompts and writing exercises to help facilitate your writing. As we move through the semester, we will transition to peer workshop, in which you will discuss your work as a group with the instructor as facilitator and guide. My hope is that you leave this class emerging citizens of the literary community and more confident writers, capable of analyzing elements of craft in the work of others and applying such techniques to your own work.