13 RACHEL YODER – INTRO TO CNF – 2010
AN INVITATION
Okla Elliot: What should young writers today study or do in order to improve their craft?
Christopher Higgs: Become intellectually polyamorous, cultivate an insatiable curiosity for knowledge and experience in as many different guises as you possibly can, question everything, always challenge, learn that failure and rejection are positive things, subscribe to at least three non-literary magazines in three completely different fields (for me, right now, it’s National Geographic, Juxtapose, and Wine Enthusiast – last year it was Seed, Esquire, and Art in America), forget politics: it has nothing to do with you and any time or energy you invest in it is wasted time and energy you could be using productively to learn and experience and create, do not choose sides, do not agree or disagree, embrace contradiction, watch cinema from as many different countries and time periods as you possibly can, seek out unclassifiable music, spend time in unfamiliar locations, expose yourself to new activities, go to the opera, go to the ballet, go to the planetarium, travel a lot, observe as much as you can, pay attention to the way people talk and the way people listen, eat strange food, watch at least one sporting event but instead of thinking about it as entertainment think about it as narrative, ABR = Always Be Researching, carry a notebook and pen at all times, remember it is more important to ask questions than give or receive answers, seek to open up and never close down, seek to seek, do not seek to find, fall in love with language, think obsessively about language, about words, about sentences, about paragraphs, about the sound of words, the weight of words, the shape of words, the look of words, the feel of words, the placement of words, and most importantly be your biggest advocate, think of yourself as a genius, think of yourself as an artist, think of yourself as a creator, do not despair, do not listen to criticism, do not believe naysayers, they are wrong, you are right, they are death and you are life, they destroy and you create, the world needs what you have to say.
COURSE OVERVIEW, or I wrote you an essay for your first day of essay class
Remember that one time you signed up for Creative Nonfiction thinking, yeah, whatever that is? Remember the first day, in class, reading through the syllabus, and there was this drawing on the first page of about a million different things all jumbled together—weird looking people and misshapen draw-y things and these two very odd little tea cups that read “pee” and “tea” and why? why?—and the teacher went on and on about art and polyamory and “her best advice” and said that to be a writer you have to sit in a chair and write (as if this wasn’t obvious, you might have thought) and she went on and on about how what you’d be learning about is art, and how to love life, and how to be curious and how to be religious about language, how to be passionately confused and be okay with this? And remember how you thought, huh, so that’s the sort of class this is going to be…alright. Alright. And you went along with it until you got to this rambling course overview that read more like some insane and perhaps mildly uncomfortable meta-narrative about how you were all sitting there, reading the course overview, and then your brain kind of started to hurt? And you were like “meta-what?” (And then there was a parenthetical aside in which she explained that a “meta-narrative” is a story, or “narrative,” which comments on its own creation or existence. So a piece of writing that comments on itself, that notices it is alive and shows you it knows it’s being created—that’s “meta…”)
And basically, do you remember how her point was that everyone—including her, including every single person in the class, including every good and bad writer who ever tried to write, every artist who ever lived—had to take risks, and that risks were good. Risks were great! And how would we ever learn anything or create anything brilliant or put something down on a piece of paper which, when read, would move a stranger’s head to nod, or smile, move a stranger to laugh out loud in a room by herself, move her to cuss back at a sentence, move her to underline or star or, man if we got lucky, move her to stand up and sing, if we didn’t take risks and maybe look a teensy bit silly for just a second or two but then—then—have a whole new world open up for us, this roiling and wild world that spills out of us and on to the page? How would we ever have a stranger carry in her heart our very own stories, our very own words, out into her day, walking down the street and thinking about something we said, something we gave her—how would we ever accomplish this had we not let them come out of us so odd and strange?
And do you remember how you wondered, what does this have to do with creative nonfiction? What is she even talking about? But then she started writing about how creative nonfiction has everything to do with risks and writing into new and brambly territory, how it has to do with bushwhacking, getting lost and sweating and maybe even bleeding a little before you find your way. Do you remember how maybe then you started to feel a little something, a glimmer of perhaps-ness, of well yes, of a maybe I’ll try “to essay”? And do you remember how, after that, maybe you felt something like hungry or listening, you noticed the room was cold, or quite warm, and then perhaps you noticed not bored and paying attention and then (dare she write it?) a little inspiration, and you played her little “writing games” in class, whatever, but then you went home and sure, you did your homework, you read, but then, do you remember how you moved through the weeks after that, and read in these essays she gave you, in this “creative nonfiction,” words that hummed and flew and drilled down into the white hot core of your humanness, and how you wanted that, you wanted to write like that, and so you did, and it was uncomfortable and make you feel weird—do you remember how you felt weird each and every day for the entire Spring of 2011!?—but it was great, and she wanted to show you all these things, and you wanted to show her and all the rest of the people in that classroom what you meant, what you had to say, and you walked in there every day with words in your hands, they were like some sort of alien transmissions you’d transcribed from light years away, and do you remember how it was good? The last day of that class? How it felt on the other side of ten thousand cataclysmic words that may or may not have changed your life, ten thousand words of creative nonfiction, true only because now you really knew what truth means?
COURSE OVERVIEW, abridged and de-insanitized.
In this class there are daily readings and writing assignments; two main essays; workshops in which we’ll read, discuss, and offer written analysis of everyone’s work; and a final portfolio which includes revisions, analytical reflections, and your word list (more on this later). Everyone will be responsible for one moment of inspiration (indicated as M.O.I. on daily schedule) at the beginning of class, something you’ve found in your own studies, reading, writing, and internet surfing that in some way informs or references your thinking about art, writing, or anything we’re working on in class. This course will focus on close reading of assigned essays; discussion of sentences, language, form, and technique; experimentation and risk-taking with your writing; and revision.
And that’s it.
REQUIRED TEXTS All available on ICON (Hard copies required for full credit in class)
Dictionary (merriam-webster.com works well)
READINGS and COPIES: I will always expect you to print and bring to class the texts in which you had assigned reading. If you don’t have these on the day we’re discussing them, I’ll consider you ill-prepared for class. Always, always, always bring print-outs from the ICON site with your notes and passage underlined. Also, be prepared to make copies of your essays (10) to share in workshop. This will entail a cost of $10-$20 dollars; plan accordingly. Sharing these copies with classmates is a required part of this course and is necessary for successful completion.
PAPER FORMAT: All homework assignments and papers turned in to me or to peers must be typed. Always use spell check, proofread carefully, and have a friend proofread for you. The physical appearance of your paper gives a reader a first impression, so make it good. I do not accept anything—daily assignments, make-up work, workshop drafts of essays, or final drafts of essays—via e-mail or Icon. If you e-mail me your assignment, it does not count as being turned in or complete.
ICON: This document as well as the daily schedule of activities and assignments are posted on ICON.uiowa.edu. I’ll also try to post all hand-outs from class on the day we use them (in case you lose yours or are absent) as well as assignment sheets that outline expectations for your essays and grading criteria. When in doubt, check ICON. From time to time I may also post notes on the ICON homepage. It would be best for you to check our ICON site at least once a week (Sunday evening would be best).
ASSIGNMENTS and GRADING:
Essay 1 + Reflection 25%
Essay 2 + Reflection 25%
Final Portfolio (Revisions, Reflection, Word List) 25%
Workshop/Participation/Homework/Attendance 25%
* There will also be opportunities for extra credit throughout the semester for attending literary readings and reporting back to the class on your experience. Details forthcoming when I announce the first reading.
You will be graded on your writing, effort, creative experimentation, and improvement over the semester, as well as participation in the course, which includes your comments during class, workshop feedback (both oral and written), and in-class writing and sharing. If you are in this course, I assume that you want to be here and that you will come prepared to offer your thoughts in class, to write, to read aloud, to offer your observations, and to be fully engaged in what we’re doing. I expect you will do all required reading and other out-of-class writing exercises and to turn things in on time. I assign manageable quantities of reading and, therefore, expect you to do all of it for every class. Whether or not you find the assigned reading compelling, I can promise you class will be boring if you don’t do the reading since the majority of what we’ll do will center around discussion and experimentation based on the reading. If it becomes evident that people aren’t reading, I’ll give daily reading quizzes which are a drag for you and me alike.
WORD LIST: You will keep an ongoing list of words that you come across in your reading with which you are not familiar. You will write the word, the sentence in which you found the word, and then look up these words and paraphrase their meaning in a way that makes sense to you. To complete this assignment successfully, you will have at least 20 words on your list by the end of the semester. You can receive extra credit if your list exceeds 30 words. Word lists will be due at the end of the semester in your portfolio.
LATE WORK: All late work will be penalized a letter grade (A to A-, A- to B+) for each class day it is late.
ATTENDANCE: Plan on perfect attendance in this class. Why? First, this course is a building block; the skills you learn here will be vital in all other classes in which you have to express yourself some way in writing (namely, all of them). We only have 29 total class sessions this semester. Two absences equals 7% of this class; three absences means you’ve missed 10%. As a good portion of this course involves workshopping, attendance is mandatory and absences probably will affect your grade.
Absences as a result of serious injury or emergency are considered excusable absences (the only kind of excusable absences). If you have to miss class (for any reason), you MUST e-mail me before class to inform me and make arrangements for making up homework and getting materials from class. If you miss class, I’m not going to hunt you down to make sure that you get your work done; this is your responsibility.
CELL PHONES (and iPods) should be turned off before class begins. This means completely off, not on Silent or on Vibrate. Please finish all calls or text messages before you enter the classroom. I don’t want to see cell phones in the classroom. If I do, I’ll ask to have the phone for the duration of the class. Please inform me if you are facing extraordinary circumstances that require you to have your cell phone on during class.
LAPTOPS aren’t necessary in this class, and are not an option unless you have a note from the learning specialist specifying that you need to use one.
FOOD Drinks are fine in class; meals are not. You’re welcome to have a snack during class, but please do not eat lasagna or something to that effect. It’s distracting.
THE WRITING CENTER: If you need help with proofreading, drafting, grammar, punctuation, ideas, or anything else related to writing, please visit the Writing Center in 110 EPB (335-0188). You can schedule individual or continued appointments with trained professionals. Email Tutoring is also available. The Writing Center can seriously help you improve and polish your essay. www.uiowa.edu/~writingc for more info.
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
PLAGIARISM All sources you may use in your essays—whether published (books, magazines, websites) or unpublished (interviews)—must be properly cited. Please see Rules for Writers for citation tips and rules. If you are caught plagiarizing, you will fail the assignment and likely the course. As an instructor of the University, I am required to report all cases of plagiarism to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. University-imposed penalties include academic probation, suspension, and expulsion, so please don’t do it, don’t think about doing it, and don’t even think about thinking about doing it. For more information and clarification on plagiarism, please visit http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/ students/academic_handbook/is.shtml.
Sexual harassment is not tolerated by the University. It subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. Visit the sexual harassment awareness site at http://www.sexualharassment.uiowa.edu/ for definitions, assistance, and the full University policy.
Classroom Policy: The University of Iowa prohibits discrimination in its educational programs on the basis of race, national origin, color, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, identity, or associated preference. But our classroom consists of more than that: it is essential that we collectively create a classroom that encourages respectful, responsible, supportive communication. Nonfiction writing inevitably involves exploring lifestyles, experiences and opinions that may differ from your own, so it’s essential that we bring an open mind to the classroom each week.
In Case of Tornado: The University of Iowa Operations Manual, Part V Chapter 16, outlines appropriate responses to a tornado or to a similar crisis. If a tornado or other severe weather is indicated by the UI outdoor warning system, members of the class should seek shelter in rooms and corridors in the innermost part of a building at the lowest level, staying clear of windows, corridors with windows, or large free-standing expanses such as auditoriums and cafeterias. The class will resume, if possible, after the UI outdoor warning system announces that the severe weather threat has ended.
Students With Special Needs: Please tell me if you have a disability that may require seating modifications or testing accommodations or accommodations of other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made.
University Class Enrollment Policy: This course is given by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This means that class policies on matters such as requirements, grading, and sanctions for academic dishonesty are governed by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students wishing to add or drop this course after the official deadline must receive the approval of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Details regarding the university policy of cross enrollment can be found at http://www.uiowa.edu/~provost/deos/crossenroll.doc.
Daily Schedule
HOMEWORK: Homework is listed in the following daily itinerary, noted in bold. Sometimes I’ll review what you are to do for homework in class, but sometimes we won’t have time. You are responsible for keeping this syllabus/itinerary handy and knowing what is due the next class. Please bring assigned reading to class every day.
Wed. 1/19: Intro, Syllabus, What is creative nonfiction?/ excerpts from Lopate intro to “The Art of the Personal Essay,” “College Essay,” Circle essays and sharing
Homework: Read Ch1: Close Reading, Van Meter’s “Discovery” and “First.” Revise Circle Essay into something truly horrible (500-700 words).
MEMOIR and THE NARRATIVE ESSAY
Mon. 1/24: Narrative, 6-word stories, and Scene (Setting dialogue, specific moment, sensory detail), Memory Writing Exercise, Discuss Reading, Review List of Literary Terms
Homework: Read “Blizzard Under Blue Sky” and excerpts from The One-Room Schoolhouse, Mamet, and Olen Butler. Revise Memory Writing Exercise, paying special attention to developing scenes and narrative arc. This should be at least 500 words. Bring a typed, double-spaced copy to class.
Wed. 1/26: Radio Lab’s “Words.” Emotion and Image: Houston clip on writing emotion, writing through emotional lens exercise, discuss reading.
Homework: Revise the exercises from class, polishing the language and turning it into something more developed, at least 500 words. (Delete ALL abstract words from the writing! Just use concretions to suggest an emotion.) Bring a typed, double-spaced copy to class. Read “Growing Up Hard” and Denis Johnson’s “Emergency.”
Mon. 1/31: Discuss essays and how to manage narration/the telling voice. Read “Girl” and “Life Story” aloud. 3-word sentence memoirs &/or Girl imitations.
Homework: Revise one of the exercises from class. Read “Harvest” (Hempel) and “Lying” (Slater). Develop imitations begun in class into 500+ word personal essays.
FICTIONAL NONFICTION and THE ECSTATIC TRUTH
Wed. 2/2: “Fictional Nonfiction” Introduction to Herzog and ecstatic truth. Discuss readings, particularly message and voice. Why not be more literal? Herzog’s “Plastic Bag.”
Homework: Take the literal and complicate it, in the manner of Plastic Bag, Hempel, or Slater (750 words). Read “Hateful Things” and “Memory Incantation” and Ch 3: Sentences. Bring a beautiful sentence you’ve found to class. Write a beautiful sentence in your homework.
LISTS, LETTERS, & DIARIES
Mon. 2/7: M.O.I. _________________. Discuss reading. Share writing. Discuss beautiful sentences (Kafka’s theory, etc).
Homework: Read “My Search Among the Birds” and “Letters to Wendy’s” Write a list essay or imitation of “Hateful Things” (500 words).
Wed. 2/9: M.O.I.__________________. Discuss essays. Read McSweeney’s Open Letters and in class writing. Share homework. Group definition of essay and expectations for first essay.
Homework: Draft an essay for Monday based on one of your favorites forms. Develop an exercise you’ve written into a more inspired, thoughtful, detailed, and eloquent essay for Monday. Aim for 5-7 pages, double spaced. Bring 10 copies to class on Monday. Make sure to review your assignment sheet to ensure you’re fulfilling all requirements.
Mon. 2/14: M.O.I.__________________. Turn in first Draft of Essay #1. Review Workshop guidelines and workshop 2 essays.
Homework: Read essays for workshop. Write comments.
Wed. 2/16: In-class workshop and feedback.
Homework: Read Essays and craft excerpt. Write comments. If you’d like, visit me during office hours to talk about your essay one-on-one, and/or visit the Writing Center for help with grammar, punctuation, and final edits.
Mon. 2/21: In-class workshop and feedback
Homework: Everyone bring a copy of your essay to class on Wednesday. Make an appointment with me if you want to talk about your essay one-on-one, and/or visit the Writing Center for help with final edits.
Wed. 2/23: Finish Workshop. Working Session, Handout and editing in pairs.
Homework: Revise your essay based on workshop feedback and comments from today in class. Review assignment sheet to make sure you’ve met all the requirements. ESSAY #1 DUE MONDAY, February 28.
Mon. 2/28: Essay #1 due. In-class reflection on writing. Intro to Creative Reportage: Hunter S. Thompson and overview of narrative journalism.
Homework: Read “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved” (Thompson) as well as craft excerpt TBA.
Wed. 3/2: M.O.I.______________. Discuss essay, narrative persona and its role in the essay. Look at other distinctive narrative personas. In-class writing exercise to develop a narrative persona.
Homework: Read “Lonely in America” and “Higher Learning.” Write about a journey you took or event you attended and create a persona to narrate OR develop in-class writing we did today (750 words).
Mon. 3/7: M.O.I. _______________. Discuss essays, form enacting content, and archetypes. In-class writing.
Homework: Read “Goodbye to all That” by both Didion and Biss. Experiment with form enacting content ala Wendy Walters. How can you use the structure of a piece to emphasize what’s happening in it? OR use our discussions of archetype to craft a nonfictional fairy tale.
Wed. 3/9: Compare and contrast essays. Share writing. What are you doing for spring break? Discuss polyamory, intellectual curiosity, and spring break adventures.
Homework: Spring break assignment is to go somewhere you haven’t been before, whether near or far. This is where intellectual polyamory comes in. What interests you? Emulating the style of one of the authors we’ve read in the past two weeks, write about your experience. Read Boully’s “The Body.”
Mon. 3/14 & Wed. 3/16: SPRING BREAK
Mon. 3/21: M.O.I.____________________. Discuss reading and use of white space. Share writing from over spring break. In-class writing.
Homework: Read “He and I” (Ginzberg) and “Captivity” (Alexie). Revise and develop in-class writing exercise.
Wed. 3/23: M.O.I.___________________. Discuss essays and form as argument/message (including white space) in addition to Italian Realism (Rome, Open City) and Native American displacement. Share writing.
Homework: Read “Mother: A Deconstruction with Critical Apparatus” Christopher Higgs and “The Question of Where We Begin” by Kyle Minor. Write an essay inspired by either “He and I” or “Captivity” (750 words).
Mon. 3/28: M.O.I. _______________________. Discuss essays, the second-person and collective-first POV, and footnotes. In-class writing prompts. Share writing.
Homework: Read Humor pieces TBA. Write an essay which creatively uses footnotes, second-person POV, or collective-first (“we”) POV (750 words).
Wed. 3/30: M.O.I.___________________. Discuss essays and in-class writing. Craft lesson. Review assignment sheet for Essay #2.
Homework: Complete first draft of essay for workshop. (See assignment sheet for specific guidelines.)
Mon. 4/4: First Draft Essay #2 Due, enough copies for everyone.
Homework: Read assigned essays and write feedback.
Wed. 4/6: Workshop
Homework: Read essays/write feedback plus craft selection.
Mon. 4/11: Workshop
Homework: Read essays/write feedback plus craft selection.
Wed. 4/13: Workshop
Homework: Read essays/write feedback plus craft selection.
Mon. 4/18: Workshop
Homework: Read essays/write feedback plus craft selection.
Wed. 4/20: Workshop
Homework: Read craft selection and revise your essay to turn in. Bring in something inspirational (preferably related to writing) which you’ve come across on your own this semester during your polyamorous intellectualism.
Mon. 4/25: Final Draft Essay #2 Due. Why do we portfolio? Inspirations.
Homework: Work on portfolios. Prepare for Writers Gone Public.
Wed. 4/27: Portfolio Work. How to give a reading. Literary Journal overview.
Homework: Word on portfolios.
Mon. 5/2: Portfolio Work, Spunk and Bite exercises
Homework: Work on portfolios.
Wed. 5/4: Portfolios due. Celebration.