Creative Nonfiction from the Writing Program
On Wednesday, April 18th, the Writing Program hosted a Nonfiction Reading Series event that featured undergraduate students reading creative nonfiction. Organized by Professor of Writing and Rhetoric and Women’s Studies Minnie Bruce Pratt, the event showcased the work that these students have developed in WRT 114, WRT 422, and WRT 438/638. Readers included Kaitlyn Monteiro, Sarah Schuster, Ian Chin, Meredith Jeffers, and Ginger Gunnip, each of whom paired their reading with a projected image.
In her introduction to the event, Writing Program Director and Chair Eileen Schell noted that the Nonfiction Reading Series, which she founded in 2008, has begun to take off. Well-known writers now approach Schell and ask her to consider their books, a sign of the series’ success. Schell introduced Minnie Bruce Pratt as a teacher and writer who works at the intersections of fields and genres, “She’s a poet, with six books to her credit. She’s also written prose and essays and feminist theory. . . . I’m so excited about what I’ve learned about her work in creative nonfiction and her teaching in creative nonfiction.”
Pratt, who provided an introduction to the event, explains that “creative nonfiction is flourishing at the edge of the global 21st century, as writers combine journalism, poetry, & memoir, history, war & peace, economics, philosophy, tall-tale-telling—just about any form and any ‘subject.’ This is writing from in-between and overlapping spaces, from those writing out lives of many identities, multiple perspectives, and layers of locations.” In her introduction, she added that creative nonfiction unites “both the flourishes and imagination of fiction and narrative with the mesmerizing truthfulness of real life. I think we’re going to get some of that today from our readers.”
—story by Emily Dressing
“I just think that, with creative nonfiction in general, you have this freedom to explore thoughts and beliefs you don't necessarily know you have. . . I've always been pretty private about my writing, but there's so much honesty that has to go into pieces for creative nonfiction that it almost feels natural to share. I never thought I'd be willingly reading something I wrote for an event like this, but I'm excited for it. Creative nonfiction ended up being a really liberating experience for me, and I definitely plan on taking more classes in it.” —Meredith Jeffers |
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“This piece ties in PTSD and suicide with the meaning of life on a grander scale. It intends to bring awareness about the severity of PTSD while honoring our fallen heroes and understanding that the death of a soldier enhances the meaning of our lives, collectively. It should inspire respect and grievance that parallels the "unknown soldier" memorial; if my writing truly reflects my intended meaning. People should be shocked, uncomfortable, and may not like my message, but I hope they can appreciate the harsh reality in my words.” —Ginger Gunnip |
pictured above (left to right): Minnie Bruce Pratt, Meredith Jeffers, Kaitlyn Monteiro, Sarah Schuster, Eileen Schell, Ginger Gunnip, Ian Chin, and CNF teacher Ivy Kleinbart. (photograph by Patrick Berry) |
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"Creative nonfiction to me is the most honest form of storytelling . . . I feel like every time I write a creative non-fiction piece I've learned something about myself, whether good or bad. When I share it, I feel like I've given part of myself to whoever's listening, and that's equally as satisfying. I think stories are so important in forming identities and relationships, and creative non-fiction as a genre is just this great outlet for doing that" —Sarah Schuster |
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"Taking Gael Sweeney's WRT 114 class was honestly one of the smartest things I've done as a writer. As a senior, sometimes you just feel burnt out when it comes time to put the pen to paper. But, as we explored different types of nonacademic writing, I just felt refreshed! I went from writing creative nonfiction to a memoir to trying my hand at immersion journalism. WRT 114 kept me on my toes." —Kaitlyn Monteiro |
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“I wrote a lot of pieces in Minnie Bruce's class about my experience with my mom and my mom's experience with her mom. . . I found that both of our experiences had to do with 'waiting for mom'—to come home, to love us, to be there . . . I was angry at my mom for a while, but in the end, all along, I think I was just doing what I was doing in the story—waiting for mom." —Ian Chin |
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