LLWRC 782 - The Nonfiction Essay

What question burns inside you? What have you seen or experienced that you must share? What real story do you need to tell? Have you always wanted to explore the subject in writing but haven't been sure where to begin? Launch into writing the essay in this 6-week course and explore the world in a whole new way. An intensive search for understanding of a particular topic, the essay usually takes on a subject outside the self, though the writer often explores it through the lens of personal experience. We'll use Tracing the Essay by Doug Atkins and On Writing Well by William Zinsser as guides (please bring your own copies to class.) We'll mine essay material from the top down, starting with the 'haunting topic,' bringing to light its supporting details, exploring what we don?t know about it, and tapping into its universal themes. Supplemental readings will include essays by David Sedaris, Ron Carlson, Dorothy Allison, and Kim Barnes. We'll discuss, write, and share our essays in a mini-workshop on revision. Open to writers of all levels of experience who are confident with basic sentence structure and composition.