Every life is a pebble—familiar and ordinary from a distance, but distinct and fascinating up close, clearly forged from the most colossal cosmological cartwheels. Whether you want to capture a single transcendent granule or tunnel through the mountainous memories of your lifetime, creative nonfiction is an ideal writing format. Memoirs, lyric and personal essays, travel, food, and nature writing, even graphic novels reside under this broad and often bestselling umbrella. This class will explore the differences between the forms, their advantages and limitations. Participants will discover how to resuscitate their memories and tell their truths with the literary finesse required to enthrall readers.

Together, we will X-ray masterworks —that is, go under the surface of the words to see the storyteller’s craft. We will ascend the scaffolds of structure such as essay braids, abecedarians, timelines, and the lowercase e, to name a few. We will learn to wield the literary tools like scene, dialogue, characterization, conflict, and theme. We will delve into research and find the stories hiding in artifacts. Finally, whether you write about cupcakes or cancer, this class will equip you with the machete needed to hack past the sentimentality traps and cut to the quick of creative nonfiction.

Writers at all levels of skill and experience are welcome. Expect a lively learning environment packed with discussions, engaging activities, and generative writing sessions.