English 252: Creative Nonfiction / Professor R. Khalaf Office 217 Fisk Hall / E-Mail [email protected] Office Hours: Tuesday & Wednesday 1:30 – 3:30 or by appointment
Suggested Texts
Barrington, Judith. Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art. Portland, Oregon: The Eighth Mountain, 2004.
Ellis, Sherry. Now Write! Nonfiction. New York: Penguin, 2009
Forché, Carolyn and Philip Gerard (Eds.) Writing Creative Nonfiction: Instruction and Insights from the Teachers of Associated Writing Programs. Ohio: Story Press, 2001
Kramer, Mark and Wendy Call (Eds.) Telling True Stories. London: Penguin, 2007
Wilson, Timothy. Redirect: Changing the Stories We Live By. New York: Little Brown and Company, 2015
Zinsser, William (Ed.) Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998
Additional Texts (Memoirs)
Students must present in-class presentations on one of the following memoirs:
Al-Radi, Nuha. Baghdad Diaries, London: Saqi Books, 1998
Baker, Russell. Growing Up, New York: Signet, 1982
Conway, Jill Kerr, The Road From Coorain, New York: Knopf, 1989
------, True North, New York: Vintage, 1995
Didion, Joan. The Year of Magical Thinking, New York: Vintage, 2007
------. Blue Nights, New York: Knopf, 2011
Ebadi, Shirin. Iran Awakening, New York: Random House, 2006
El Khalil, Zena. Beirut, I Love You: A Memoir, London: Saqi, 2009
EL-Zein. Leave To Remain: A Memoir, Australia, University of Queensland, 2009
Gawande, Atul. Being Mortal, New York: Deckle Edge, 2014
Ghoussoub, Mai. Selected Writings, London: Saqi, 2008
McCourt, Frank. Angela’s Ashes, New York: Scribner, 1996
Nafisi, Azar. Reading Lolita in Tehran, New York: Random House, 2003
Palmer, Amanda, The Art of Asking, New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2014
Pamuk, Orhan. Istanbul: Memories and The City, New York: Vintage, 2006.
Said, Edward. Out of Place, New York: Knopf, 1999
Said, Najla, Looking for Palestine, New York: Riverhead, 2013
Smith, Patti. Just Kids, New York: HarperCollins, 2010
Approval is required if students wish to report on a memoir not listed above
Goals The purpose of this course is to develop the required skills for writing creative nonfiction prose. This newly popular and widely recognized “fourth genre” is distinguished from other types of prose writing such as fiction and academic scholarship in three ways: It is based on real events, characters, and places; it is written with a special concern for language; and it tends to be more informal and personal than other types of writing. The term ‘creative nonfiction’ describes a host of familiar subgenres including personal essay, memoir, journal writing, interactive interviewing, investigative journalism and personality profile.
Workshops Workshops offer students the opportunity to explore nonfiction texts from a practitioner’s perspective before composing original memoirs of their own. Initially, students are required to read and analyze selected memoirs and other forms of reflexive writing that may serve as models of inspiration. Close reading before composing is essential to the process of moving from text, to critical analysis, to imaginative creation. During the first few weeks, the focus will be on examining the techniques of the genre: theme, voice, structure, etc. Students select a meaningful theme and start crafting a memoir composed of eight episodes, applying a process of reading, drafting, workshopping, revising and editing throughout the semester.
Assignments 1). Memoir Writing (Students must select a meaningful theme, craft and workshop weekly episodes related to their theme. By the end of the semester, episodes must form a coherent and complete memoir. 2). In-class presentation on one of the memoirs listed above.
Evaluation Individual conferences are mandatory and will be scheduled at various intervals during the semester to allow students the opportunity to receive an assessment of their work and discuss the progress they are making. Prior to the conferences, manuscripts must be submitted along with earlier drafts to ensure that the process of writing and not just the finished work is taken into consideration. By the end of the semester, each portfolio should contain a revised and edited memoir.
Evaluation is also based on class participation and contribution as well as the readiness and goodwill of students in offering and accepting criticism from fellow writers. There is no competition in the workshop. Each of us has stories to tell, a “voice” to discover, develop and share at our own pace.
Memoir: 60% Class Participation and Presentations: 40%
Attendance Regular attendance and class preparation are basic expectations of the course and essential in creating a successful workshop atmosphere. The class does not work unless everyone is present, on time and prepared. Students who do not attend workshops and present assignments on time will be penalized by having points deducted from their overall grade.
Plagiarism Please turn in original work. Plagiarism is a serious breach of the Honor Code at AUB.
WEEK ONE Course introduction and discussion: What is memoir? Autobiography is the story of a life. Memoir is a story from a life Two essential elements - one of art, the other of craft Recognizing the value of relocating lived experience to the nonfiction workshop Finding inspiration and voice in expressive writing about oneself Brainstorming for a meaningful theme that defines and explores your personal journey
Assignment: Read the first four chapters in The Year of Magical Thinking (handout) Craft the First Memoir Episode (Bring 15 copies to distribute and workshop)
WEEK TWO Reading selections are subject to change
Discussion and analysis of The Year of Magical Thinking “My Father’s Suitcase” Orhan Pamuk “What I Have Lived For” Bertrand Russell
Workshop First Memoir Episode Discussion on how to focus and refine themes and incorporate useful techniques from the readings The dilemma of what to include and what to leave out (Some moral and ethical considerations)
Assignment: Craft Episode Two Read the first four chapters of Beirut, I Love You by Zena El Khalil
WEEK THREE Workshop Second Memoir Episode Discussion and Analysis of Beirut, I Love You
Assignment: Craft Episode Three (Bring 15 copies to distribute) “Huzun” from Istanbul, Orhan Pamuk “Missed Opportunities” Mai Ghoussoub “Finding Form” from Writing the Memoir by Judith Barrington
WEEK FOUR Discussion of assigned readings Read and discuss excerpt from Out of Place by Edward Said (Handout)
Workshop Episode Three
Assignment: Write Episode Four Read “Funduk al-Saada or Hotel Paradiso from Baghdad Diaries by Nuha al-Radi and chapter two in Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
WEEK FIVE Discussion of assigned readings Discussion on how to give and receive feedback A Writer and Editor Talk Shop in Telling True Stories (Handout) “The Line Between Fact and Fiction” by Roy Peter Clark in Telling True Stories (Handout)
Workshop Fourth Memoir Episode Discussion: Connecting episodes (A variety of techniques)
Assignment: Craft Episode Five Read “On Voice” by Susan Orlean in Telling True Stories
WEEK SIX Discussion of reading assignment Workshop Fifth Memoir Episode
Reading and discussion of “Interactive Interviewing: Talking about Emotional Experience” from Reflexivity and Voice, by Carolyn Ellis, Christine E. Kiesinger, and Lisa M. Tillman-Healy (Handout)
Assignment: Outline an Interactive Interview
WEEK SEVEN Further discussion of Interactive Interviewing Students engage in Interactive Interviewing and present results in-class Discussion of insights and ideas explored during Interactive Interviewing and ways of incorporating relevant information in memoirs
Assignment: Craft Episode Six Read excerpt from Reading Lolita in Iran (Handout)
WEEK EIGHT Discussion of reading assignment Workshop Episode Six
Assignment: Write Episode Seven Read “A Widow’s Story” by Joyce Carol Oates
Mid-Term Portfolios Due (Must Include Five Revised and Edited Memoir Episodes and Interactive Interviews)
WEEK NINE Discussion of “A Widow’s Story” Students present and workshop Episode Seven
Read and discuss “On Impact” by Stephen King Discussion of tension, development, episode sequence, framing (beginnings and endings) in memoir writing
Assignment: Write Episode Eight Read excerpt from Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebook
WEEK TEN Discussion of reading assignment
Workshop Episode Eight Discussion of memoir as a journey: Gaining awareness and maturity through writing and workshopping Discussion of “Afterword” from Iran Awakening by Shirin Ebadi (Handout)
Assignment: Complete the memoir by connecting all eight episodes and writing a beginning and ending
WEEK ELEVEN Students present and discuss completed memoirs
WEEK TWELVE Presentations: students report on selected memoirs
WEEK THIRTEEN Presentations: Students report on selected memoirs
Final Portfolios Due (Completed memoirs must consist of revised and edited episodes that are properly connected with appropriate beginnings and endings)