| What’s Your Story: Reading and Writing Nonfiction | |
| Location: 5159 Westlawn | |
| Dates: Mondays, Feb 2 - Mar 30 (no class March 16), 5:00 - 7:00 PM | |
| Time: | |
| Class size limit: 12 | |
| Cost: $80 | |
| Course Details: | |
| We each have a story to tell. This class will help you learn how to tell it well. As a
literary genre, nonfiction in the early 21st century is in a golden age. It’s bursting with possibilities—from memoir to literary journalism, from the review to the letter to the list, from the lyric essay to the personal essay to the argumentative essay—with each form continuing to
challenge its perimeters and definitions. Using readings, we will discuss the various forms and, through creative writing exercises, learn how to write a story to make it compelling. You will also read each other’s work, both as a class “workshop” and in one-on-one editing.
INSTRUCTOR: Emma Rainey received her BA in English from the UI (after acting, dancing, and serving as artistic director for several dance companies). She is currently a third year M.F.A. candidate in the UI’s Nonfiction Writing Program, teaches yoga, choreographs, and has spearheaded a reading and writing program that partners graduate writers with homeless teens in Iowa City. She loves writing about Iowa. Ultimately, her deepest desire is to achieve the extraordinary from the commonplace. | |