LALW220 Creative Nonfiction 3cr

Our strongest and deepest experiences cannot be paraphrased and that is why we need creative nonfiction. Nonfiction is an experimental art because meaning is discovered in the act of creating; playing with form is part of the process. Come try your hand at flash nonfiction. Make a collage or braided essay. Learn how memoir is blended with larger narrative stories using research. Today’s reader of creative nonfiction needs to be flexible, open, and exploratory. The same subject is treated in very different ways. Take food, for example. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, journalist Michael Pollan describes the process of preparing four meals and tracks down the origins of the ingredients. In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver, novelist and essayist, tells a story of her family trying to raise or grow their own food for one year in southern Appalachia. Creative Nonfiction moves from narration to reflection to surprising insights in film, graphic memoirs, video essays, weblogs, and online essays. Join us for some new reading and writing experiences. No prior writing experience required.

Prerequisites: LALW200

Lecture
Undergraduate Elective
Fall