Studies in Creative Nonfiction: The Personal and Intergenerational Narrative – Thursday Course

Description:
This course will examine the interconnection of personal, familial, and ancestral narratives. We will discuss how stories do not need to follow a linear structure and that circular/spiral retelling often aligns more with the interconnection between stories. Readings draw from a range of nonfiction texts, and our discussion will raise questions regarding narrative development: How does pacing and sequencing echo the way time is reflected? How does the author intertwine other narratives within their own story? 

 As a cohort, we will walk through this close study of how personal stories are told and interconnected to family and community and how themes are created within the course of the books.

For the generative portion of this course, we will experiment with various methods and techniques to tell our stories.

This course expects an intensive reading of the assigned texts as well as avid contribution to the community of the classroom via class discussion and exercise participation.

Required Texts:
Helen Knott’s In My Own Moccasins: A Memoir of Resilience
Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe’s Red Paint
Terese Marie Mailhot’s Heart Berries
Leah Myers’ Thinning Blood: A Memoir of Family, Myth, and Identity

Recommended Texts:
Melissa Febos’ Body Works 

**Note: Course texts are subject to change. Final text list will be available on the syllabus.

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The course requires a minimum of four students to run. If we do not reach this minimum before the course starts, you will receive a notification and a refund.