Creative Nonfiction II [Anne Liu Kellor]

This class is for those looking to build upon craft learned in Creative Nonfiction I or those already familiar with the basics of the genre including points of view, scene, reflection, and form. Each week we will delve deeper into the process of generating our own vital material from in-class prompts, with the option to share aloud.

We will also read and discuss a diverse range of voices and structures found in essays and memoir excerpts by authors such as Patrica Hampl, Lidia Yuknavitch, Maxine Hong Kingston, Kiese Laymon, Joann Beard, Claire Dederer, and Ocean Vuong. In the final weeks, students may receive feedback from the instructor on a piece and have the option to workshop their piece with the whole class in a respectful, inclusive environment.

Week by Week Topics and Readings

1. Exploration, Vulnerability, and Breaking Silence

Introductions to each other; free-writing and generating approaches; lists | Readings: Rebecca Solnit, Patricia Hampl on memoir, Lidia Yuknavitch

2. Truth, Memoir, and Metaphor

Why write memoir; voice; metaphor, themes, and images | Readings: Maxine Hong Kingston; Steven Harvey and Ana Maria Spagna on the essay

3. Finding Your Form and Voice in CNF

Diversity of CNF; breaking rules; hybrid pieces/books | Readings: Kiese Laymon, Dena Landon

4. The Classic Short Personal Essay

Scene and reflection; past vs. present tense; coming of age/out of innocence/reckoning | Readings: Joann Beard; Brenda Miller

5. The Long Braided or Segmented Essay

Exploring fragments and threads; looking inward and outward | Readings: Claire Dederer; Ocean Vuong; Sandra Cisneros OR Student Papers

6. Exploring Second Person

Writing to yourself and to others | Readings: Student Papers

7. Hermit Crab Essays and Writing Workshop

Readings: Student Papers

8. Writing Workshop and Final Reflections