In this intermediate-level course, students will expand their understanding of nonfictional forms, delving into a range of contemporary styles and strategies, thereby dissolving literary barriers, and exploring the intersections of the personal narrative, art criticism, memory, the argumentative essay, the art of the interview, letter writing, collective and artist manifestos, narrative poems, and more. Each student will workshop a single piece of nonfiction twice, polishing it throughout the semester, and readying it for publication. Attention is paid to honing one’s individual voice and point of view (some of them involving reportage and research). Students will read provocative, bold and form-defying nonfiction works throughout the semester.

INTERMEDIATE NON-FICTION: I'LL GO ON. "You must go on, I can’t go on, I’ll go on.” These final words of Samuel Beckett’s The Unnamable can inspire—or challenge—any writing practice, from texting, to journaling, to crafting essays, stories, and books. How do we go on through fear, anxiety, blocks, and catastrophes? (Short answer: “Sometimes?!?”) How do we consistently discover and shape new narratives, and then do it all over again in revision? How can our writing benefit from reassessing and reaffirming our voices, languages, craft, and writing identities? This course aims to help us all think and write anew, and to welcome the enlargement, refinement, and transformation of our creative practices. Workshop requires a rigorous level of participation and accountability; it also allows us to take risks with craft, inspiration, and our limitless capacity to grow as writers.