English 135 - Introduction to Writing Creative Nonfiction: Nonfiction in Words and Pictures

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. : In the 20th century, as literacy rates rose, images disappeared from literature. Pictures were relegated to children’s books; only words were fit for adults. But the situation is changing. The internet and new printing technologies have allowed serious stories to again be told with words and images. We’ll study creative nonfiction in graphic novels, hybrid and artist’s books, and digital and text-only essays. You needn’t be an artist to take this class! Students will create word-image memoirs and profiles using photos, photocopies, digital images, and hand-drawn art if they wish. This is a writing course with a visual twist. (E)