CNF 105 — Creative Nonfiction Workshop: Finding the Thread
Quarter: Summer
Instructor(s): David King
Date(s): Jun 25—Aug 27
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Wednesdays
Class Meeting Time: 6:00—8:30 pm (PT)
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jun 27
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Open
Quarter: Summer
Day: Wednesdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 6:00—8:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jun 25—Aug 27
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Jun 27
Instructor(s): David King
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
“It can be like trying to write War and Peace in a bumper car in an amusement park…” Stanley Kubrick’s words on filmmaking apply with curious resonance to the complicated and thrilling world of creative nonfiction. After all, how do you transform a vast chaos of raw data, much of it obscure and contradictory, into vivid prose that resonates with your audience?
Join us as we explore the foundations and frontiers of this old, versatile, and perennially reimagined genre. Whether you are working on a memoir or a book about music, travel, business, sports, true crime, popular science, or some other form of nonfiction, you will learn how to discover provocative stories, fashion the material into a compelling narrative, and find your way through the shifting landscape of modern publishing.
Emphasis will be placed on proven techniques, practical strategies, actionable advice, and other tools of the trade that have long served writers in their quest to turn research into art. By the end of the course, you will have gained a deeper insight into the core components of the craft of creative nonfiction. You will also leave with a portfolio of new writing (4,000–6,000 words, with feedback from the instructor and your peers) and a richer understanding of how you can reach your potential as a writer of original and powerful work.
Join us as we explore the foundations and frontiers of this old, versatile, and perennially reimagined genre. Whether you are working on a memoir or a book about music, travel, business, sports, true crime, popular science, or some other form of nonfiction, you will learn how to discover provocative stories, fashion the material into a compelling narrative, and find your way through the shifting landscape of modern publishing.
Emphasis will be placed on proven techniques, practical strategies, actionable advice, and other tools of the trade that have long served writers in their quest to turn research into art. By the end of the course, you will have gained a deeper insight into the core components of the craft of creative nonfiction. You will also leave with a portfolio of new writing (4,000–6,000 words, with feedback from the instructor and your peers) and a richer understanding of how you can reach your potential as a writer of original and powerful work.
DAVID KING
Author
David King is the author of five books, including Death in the City of Light (a New York Times bestseller) and Six Days in August (a SXSW SX Speaker Series Best Book of 2023). His book The Trial of Adolf Hitler was a long-listed finalist for the Jewish Quarterly-Wingate Literary Prize and the Cundill History Prize. A Cambridge University graduate and a Fulbright scholar, he taught writing and history at the University of Kentucky. His books have been translated into nearly 20 languages, with film rights sold to three major Hollywood studios and production companies. Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Erik Larson, In the Garden of Beasts (ISBN 978-0307408853)