Introduction to Creative Non-fiction

Perhaps you’ve been wondering how to write about your expereinces, the places you’ve lived, the people you’ve loved, or the changes that shaped you. In this course we’ll work across memoir, travel writing, personal essay, and related forms, learning how to build scenes, find your voice, and handle time and memory without losing truth.

Over six evenings, we’ll read closely, write regularly, and give each other thoughtful feedback in a supportive group setting.

We’ll tackle the core challenges of creative nonfiction: finding scope and focus, choosing a narrative voice, handling time and memory, and writing ethically about real people. Each session blends short craft discussions, in-class writing, and live feedback on five-page excerpts shared “on the spot,” so you can test ideas and revise in real time. 

Weekly readings will include memoir, personal essay, travel writing, and hybrid forms by authors such as Melissa Febos, Robert Macfarlane, Helen Macdonald, Olivia Laing, Arundhati Roy, and Margaret Atwood. Outside the classroom, the only expectation is to keep writing and bring questions about your project’s themes and direction.

By the final session, you’ll have a clearer sense of your work’s driving questions and where to take it next

Who should join: Writers of all levels — from beginners taking their first steps in creative nonfiction to those with three or more chapters or essays in draft — who want structured guidance, peer response, and craft tools to move forward with confidence.

Oct. 7 — Starting Points: Memory, Truth, and Opening Moves

Oct. 14 — Voice and Point of View

Oct. 21 — Setting and Sense of Place

Oct. 28 — Characterisation and Ethical Considerations

Nov. 4 — Structure and Arc

Nov. 11 — Theme, Revision, and Next Step