WRITING LIVES
We live many lives. Each
of us has a story, many stories. How do we write our lives? What is identity?
What is truth in creative nonfiction/memoir? How do we write memoir? In this course, we will explore how writers compose
lives, create stories, and construct identity in memoir. In our discussions, we
will consider how personal, social, economic, and cultural influences impact
the narratives we write. We will investigate creative writing that challenges
perceptions of memoir and autobiography.
As a class, we will read work that is evocative and compelling—this includes
work that is innovative in form. We will deepen our understanding of memoir
techniques through critical work that explores the vibrant genre of memoir.
The class will experiment with writing memoir by way of craft. Which means
we will experiment with writing techniques: setting, scene, characterization,
description, voice, and more. We will also question what truth telling in
nonfiction requires of the writer. Is there a pact the writer makes with their
audience? Does this require absolute truth? Are there different perceptions of
truth in story telling? We will question how memoir is written.
In class
discussions will be lively, thoughtful, and considerate. There will be writing
workshop days in which your writing is thoughtfully discussed by your peers. Workshopping allows the writer to see first-hand how the reader engages with their work. It is an excellent process.
Homework will include posting well-thought out and engaging responses to
readings that we have done. The responses will be posted to Laulima prior to
class.
By the end of the semester, you will have a portfolio of your writing that
shows your progression as a critical thinker as well as a writer of memoir. This
class will be engaging and dynamic!
Text:
- Sista Tongue
by Lisa Linn Kanae - Zami
by Audre Lorde - Crazy Brave
by Joy Harjo - Truth of the Matter by Dinty W. Moore
- Modern American Memoirsedited by Annie Dillard and
Cort Connelly
Additional supplementary
reading will be posted to Laulima.