Advanced Non-Fiction Workshop
Carlin Romano profile
TR 1:30-3
Nonfiction, as author Joe McGinniss discovered to his dismay last
year, actually exists as a distinct literary category. But like a
wildlife park, nonfiction contains many species. The instructor, who
is the literary critic of The Philadelphia Inquirer and critic-at-
large of Lingua Franca magazine, expects student writers to slip off
the tour bus and into the fields, engage in mild petting, and get so
familiar with the beasties that you'll develop l
Short writing assignments in the first half of the term exercise
literary muscles in such forms as the book review, feature article,
op-ed piece and profile. Short readings pinpoint issues crucial to
writers of nonfiction. In the second half of the term, students write
and rewrite -- with editorial supervision from the instructor and
workshop commentary from classmates -- a publishable, critical or
intellectual essay. In addition to intense focus on the mechanics and
aesthetics of smart, stylish prose, the class discusses many practical
aspects of writing as a fulltime career: how to break into specific
publications; the difference between academic and nonacademic prose;
the unspoken rules of freelance writing, the emotional challenges of
being edited, and more. Prerequisite: A desire to answer "I'm a
writer" when someone asks "What do you do?" (See note following
English 113.)
updated 2006-02-19
