Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Writing Creative Nonfiction

Creative nonfiction is the fastest growing genre in the literary world.

Join Lee Gutkind, editor of "Creative Nonfiction" magazine, and Dinty W. Moore, editor of "Brevity," a journal of concise literary nonfiction, for an in-depth look at the hottest genre of the publishing industry.

In this one-day workshop, Gutkind and Moore will define the scope of the genre, from narrative reporting to personal essay and memoir, deconstructing examples of their work and others.

In “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Writing Creative Nonfiction,” participants will learn to:

• Develop ideas into compelling stories
• Craft and recreate scenes from real life and from the past
• Communicate critical ideas and information
• Link scenes together into longer, powerful narratives

Ethics and boundaries of creative nonfiction will be discussed, as well as markets for publication. This will be an intimate workshop experience, with limited enrollment.

Schedule:

9:00–9:30 a.m.
Registration and Coffee

9:30–11:45 a.m.
Writing creative nonfiction in short form, including flash strategies, truth versus memory, issues of voice, and the Invisible Magnetic River.

Noon – 1 p.m.
Lunch with Lee and Dinty – A discussion about the creative nonfiction marketplace.
(Lunch provided.)

1:15 – 4:30 p.m.
Writing creative nonfiction in long form, including the building blocks of scene, narrative structure, and the ‘yellow pen’ test.

4:30 – 5 p.m.
Q & A with the presenters.

Lee Gutkind, recognized by "Vanity Fair" as “the Godfather behind creative nonfiction,” is the author and editor of more than 30 books, including "You Can’t Make this Stuff Up," and founder and editor of "Creative Nonfiction," the first and largest literary magazine to publish narrative nonfiction exclusively.

Gutkind has lectured to audiences around the world—from China to the Czech Republic, from Australia to Africa to Egypt. He has appeared on many national radio and televisions shows, including “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central), “Good Morning America,” National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation” and “All Things Considered,” as well as BBC World.

He is Distinguished Writer-in-Residence in the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes and a professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University. He is—has always been—a writer with a purpose and a man on a mission.

Dinty W. Moore is author of "Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy: Advice and Confessions on Writing, Love, and Cannibalsas" as well as the memoir "Between Panic & Desire." He also edited "The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction: Advice and Essential Exercises from Respected Writers, Editors, and Teachers." Moore has published essays and stories in "The Southern Review," "The Georgia Review," "Harpers," "The New York Times Sunday Magazine," "The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine," "Iron Horse Literary Review," and "The Normal School" among numerous other venues. A professor of nonfiction writing at Ohio University, Moore has taught writing workshops across the U.S., in Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, and Scotland. He has won many awards for his writing, including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction. He edits "Brevity," an online journal of flash nonfiction, and lives in Athens, Ohio, where he grows heirloom tomatoes and edible dandelions.

Co-sponsored by the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, the Creative Nonfiction Foundation, and the School for the Future of Innovation in Society