Beside Myself

One of the primary skills that a creative nonfiction writer needs to develop is the art of listening. From this kind of active listening comes an attentiveness to the idiosyncratic of each individual human voice. In this advanced seminar we will examine and produce works of literary art that are entirely centered around––and arise out of––voices other than the author’s own. We will also study the works of others for whom this kind of active de-centering of self sits at the heart of their creative undertakings. Potential readings include: Teju Cole, Studs Terkel, Aysegul Savas, Layli Long Soldier, C.D. Wright, Valeria Luiselli, Kathryn Scanlon, Tessa Hulls, Svetlana Alexievich among others.