Making a Scene

In this course, students write one building block of creative nonfiction, the scene—character, setting, action. Students will compose dialogue, deploy details of setting that build character and infuse the scene with meaning, and find something for those characters to do in that setting—dusting a lamp, discovering a fortune, or burning down the house. While practicing writing their own scenes, students will engage nonfiction writers such as Joan Didion, Jesmyn Ward, Yiyun Li, James Baldwin, Rachel Aviv, Grace Talusan, and Nicole Chung. Enrollment limited to 17. No prerequisites. Instructor permission required.