This seminar-style course introduces students to the writing of memoir, autobiography, biography, and other types of personal narratives.

In Winter 2025, the course introduces the writing of creative nonfiction. We will explore a number of subgenres of nonfiction writing, including memoir/autobiography, biography/profile, personal essay, and literary journalism. The course will include selected readings by contemporary writers, short lectures and discussions of the writing craft, in-class writing exercises, and workshop discussions of students’ own creative pieces. Our readings will include work by writers with a range of voices and styles, including Indigenous writers, Northern writers, BIPOC writers, and LGBTQ2S+ writers. In addition to reading and writing, we will also briefly touch on publishing and developing portfolios for future study, but the emphasis will be on students’ current writing projects.

Prerequisite(s): Six credits of university-level composition and/or literature; or CRWR 201, CRWR 202, or CRWR 241.