Five College Consortium

Students learn to use literary techniques to write factual, engaging narratives that read like fiction. Based on research, interviews and personal experience, creative nonfiction encompasses a wide range of genres, including memoir, travel writing, nature writing, science writing, food writing and biography. Prerequisites: one WI course. Enrollment in each section limited to 16. Course may be repeated once on a different topic. (E): Students write true stories about art, music, theater, film and dance that read like a novel. Writing assignments include a profile of an artist or performer, a review of a performance or an exhibit, and a personal essay exploring how a work of art, theater or music influenced the author. The essays read like fiction, relying on character, pacing, scenes, structure and sensory details. Unlike fiction, these stories are based on facts gathered through research, observation and interviews. The course offers tools and an approach to writing to help students develop a writing process that works for them. Enrollment limited to 16. (E)