Writing and Practice Fall 2020 / Nonfiction with Linda Norton

 

Writing and Practice: Nonfiction with Linda Norton

This class focuses on non-fiction writing, which is a flexible genre that can include personal and political essays (sometimes illustrated), memoir and autobiography, journalism (short-form, long-form, serial, and book-length), lyric writing that sometimes seems like poetry, profiles, criticism and theory, autofiction, interviews, diaries, notebooks, research / documentary, podcasts, obituaries and eulogies and memorials, sermons, polemics and activism, and comedy/stand up (here's Steve Martin's "Writing is Easy").

Cultivating attention is important. In the digital era, distraction may prevent us from reading and writing without interruption. But snippets and social media posts can spark curiosity and lead to great things (here's an example of an essay that was prompted by a Tweet). Some FB and Instagram posts and Twitter threads are great nonfiction essays unto themselves (can you find or write some to share in this class?).

In this class we'll explore ways to cultivate attention and develop your curiosity, including keeping a notebook, free writing from prompts, turning reading into writing (active reading, responsive reading/annotation and reflection), exploring forms and voice, and working with me and your peers to develop, revise, and polish toward publishable work.  

What You Need for this Class

• A computer, reliable wifi, a place to do your work with minimal distractions
• Also: I may ask you to take and share photos for this class; a phone camera will be sufficient 
• A notebook and pen or pencil
• A Zoom account (you will have one Zoom link for all classes and meetings with me; put it in your digital calendar with password so you can click on it whenever we meet for class or a scheduled conference)
• Ability to use IT Sligo Microsoft Teams and Moodle
• Access to libraries, research data bases & search engines, bookstores
• A gmail address and a Google account (in addition to your IT Sligo email address); this gives you access to Google drive (so you can organize your files, use Google docs and Google sites and Blogger, etc.).
• One of the following books (your choice; please get your hands on a copy by October 25th):

Dermot Healy, The Bend for Home

Nuala O'Faolain, Are You Somebody

Brian Dillon, Essayism: On Form, Feeling, and Nonfiction

Sinéad Gleeson, Constellations

Ian Maleney, Minor Monuments

Emilie Pine, Notes to Self

Micah Rajunov and Scott Duane, eds., Nonbinary: Memoirs of Gender and Identity

Adrienne Kennedy, People Who Led to My Plays

Click on each link and research each of the books before you choose one. I'll be asking you to share your reasons for choosing one of these books rather than the others, and your thoughts on how they might help you/inspire you with your own writing practice and goals for this class. (You may have read some of these books already; if so, please choose something you haven't already read. Of course you are most welcome to read more than one of them this semester!)

Building a Community of Writers in a Pandemic

In a pandemic (and at other times), access to resources, subject matter, bandwidth, privacy, time, and peace and quiet may be in short supply. Keep in touch with me if you are finding yourself challenged or stymied about any of the requirements for this class and we will sort things out. 

Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning

For the first two weeks of class we will meet online on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-6:00PM GMT (attendance is mandatory; we're trying to get to know each other and develop momentum). 

I am going to try to develop an asynchronous learning environment, so will be posting weekly talks and assignments (probably on Saturdays) and asking you to complete your writing, reading, and peer review assignments and share them online once a week on Saturdays, too. 

We'll talk about Drop-In Writing Room, conferences, and other ways to stay in touch and collaborate.

Major Assignments 

Weekly ungraded mini-assignments will help you build notes, drafts, and research (with feedback from your peers and from me) for your final portfolio. Keep up with the reading, dialogue, lectures, and feedback from week to week and you'll be in good shape. 

• brief essays/articles/drafts/revisions: 30% of grade
• participation/peer review/communications: 30% of grade
• portfolio of three genres (final project) and reflective cover memo: 40% of grade

You'll be able to explore a variety of genres in ungraded writing/drafts and then submit three polished pieces in genres like the interview, the profile, the personal essay/short memoir, the lyric essay, the curated notebook or diary. I will ask you to decide on your three genres fairly early in the semester so you can focus on working on those pieces. 

While I will provide you with resources for reading and writing, I will also ask you to seek out and share (with me and your peers) models for the work you want to do and the things that interest you and spark your passion and curiosity.

"Attendance" for an online course with asynchronous components means:

• Keeping up with the work 
• Keeping in touch through writing, email, video 
• Doing the reading and writing assignments, etc.
• Watching all video lectures and slideshows; listening to any assigned podcasts
• And making yourself available reliably for peer review with other students and conferences with me (don't disappear; check your email and stay in touch; show up for any scheduled online meetings with me and others in the class).