The unit offers students the opportunity to learn about the practice of one of the key forms of contemporary storytelling - creative nonfiction. Students will have the opportunity to develop the main skills necessary for nonfiction writing: choosing a topic, research and drafting. Students will study a range of creative nonfiction genres such as: memoir; biography; travel writing; the essay; narrative nonfiction; and nonfiction poetry. We will discuss the ethical, theoretical and aesthetic issues associated with a range of creative nonfiction genres and their sites of publication. The unit explores the relationship between fact and fiction, the role of personal experience in creativity, and the use of the techniques of fiction and poetry in the treatment of real life. The unit will also pay attention to revising, editing and presenting writing for publication.
