CNF 63 W — Getting Started in Creative Nonfiction: A Ticket to the Truth
Quarter: Summer
Instructor(s): Liza Monroy
Date(s): Jul 16—Aug 13
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Thursdays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 12:30—1:30 pm (PT)
Tuition: $410
Refund Deadline: Jul 18
Unit(s): 1
Enrollment Limit: 85
Status: Registration opens May 18, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Summer
Day: Thursdays
Duration: 5 weeks
Time: 12:30—1:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jul 16—Aug 13
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $410
Refund Deadline: Jul 18
Instructor(s): Liza Monroy
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Enrollment Limit: 85
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens May 18, 8:30 am (PT)
To write is to sell a ticket to escape, not from the truth, but into it.—Alexander Chee
Do you long to write your stories down but need a kickstart? In this course, innovative and inspiring daily prompts will get you writing your own short creative nonfiction pieces, which you can optionally share with peers and (once weekly) your instructor for brief, encouraging feedback. In this generative practice, each day will be a different creative mini-adventure where you will learn about writing great scenes, building various structures, and the art of revision. To enhance the process, we’ll read short essays by Joan Didion, CJ Hauser, Roxane Gay, and others. Bite-sized, easily digestible lessons and discussions on craft, along with readings of the best contemporary nonfiction being published today, will deepen your knowledge. Throughout our journey, you will find a supportive writing community, provocative prompts, engaging example essays, and daily accountability.
Do you long to write your stories down but need a kickstart? In this course, innovative and inspiring daily prompts will get you writing your own short creative nonfiction pieces, which you can optionally share with peers and (once weekly) your instructor for brief, encouraging feedback. In this generative practice, each day will be a different creative mini-adventure where you will learn about writing great scenes, building various structures, and the art of revision. To enhance the process, we’ll read short essays by Joan Didion, CJ Hauser, Roxane Gay, and others. Bite-sized, easily digestible lessons and discussions on craft, along with readings of the best contemporary nonfiction being published today, will deepen your knowledge. Throughout our journey, you will find a supportive writing community, provocative prompts, engaging example essays, and daily accountability.
This course is appropriate for both newer writers and those who want to further develop their practice. Because of the high enrollment capacity, the majority of feedback on work will come from fellow classmates. For students who have previously taken the course, the structure is the same but the content is new. Past students are encouraged to join.
LIZA MONROY
Author
Liza Monroy is the author of the novels The Distractions and Mexican High, the memoir The Marriage Act, and the essay collection Seeing as Your Shoes Are Soon to Be on Fire. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Modern Love column, The New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Longreads, Newsweek, Self, and Best American Food Writing. She received an MFA in nonfiction from Columbia and has taught writing at Columbia and UC Santa Cruz. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.