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Workshop Descriptions & Instructors
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Memoir: The Vertical Pronoun And The Who Cares? Question Narrative Journalism: The Art Of The Profile
Memoir: The Vertical Pronoun And The Who Cares? Question Though only one letter long, the word “I” can intimidate a writer. In this course, we’ll spend half our time discussing excerpts from various memoirs—by Vladimir Nabokov, Kathryn Harrison, Frank McCourt, Lucy Grealy—and exploring our own personal storytelling through short (250-word max) exercises in memory mining, verb tense and voice, and character, dialogue and plot. The rest of the time we’ll workshop our memoirs-in-progress, striving to answer the pesky Who Cares? question: How can my story be both unique and universal, both precisely mine and meaningful to others? Please plan to send me your work (10 pages maximum) in advance of our session. While this course is ideal for memoirists in the midst of projects, writers at any stage are welcome. Those who come in with an already completed draft will equip themselves to revise rigorously, and those with little more than a concept will chip away considerably at that block of marble, to find the statue emerging. Narrative Journalism: The Art Of The Profile The profile, one of the foundations of narrative journalism, is a portrait painted in words. A profile writer serves as the eyes and ears for the reader, enabling the reader to experience the subject as palpably as one can without meeting in person. In this course, we’ll learn the interviewing and the writing aspects of the profile process: getting your subject to talk; being both prepared and open to surprise; trying on different perspectives (degrees of first person, fly-on-the-wall); prioritizing information and using quotes to convey your subject vividly and precisely, bringing him or her to life on the page. On day one, we’ll explore the nuts and bolts of the form, and what makes profiles like Lillian Ross’s “Portrait of Hemingway” and Gay Talese’s “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” successful; then we’ll split up to interview one another. Overnight, you’ll write a short (500-word max) profile of your colleague. On day two, we’ll read these profiles aloud and discuss what’s working, what isn’t, and why. Inquisitive wordsmiths at all levels are welcome. Biography
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by Instructor Sponsored by the Division of Continuing Education Last updated on January 10, 2008 |
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