CRWR 24018/44018 Advanced Nonfiction Workshop: Stories of Water
Consider your story of water. The drip at your faucet connecting you through a map of pipelines to the lake. Your neighborhood river that was also a highway. The familiar shoreline that now only appears in family pictures and old maps. An endless blue horizon that someone you loved crossed. Our relationship to water shapes our everyday lives and connects us to environmental change and social realities. When we tell the story of a body of water, we also tell the story of the people whose memories, livelihoods, and futures depend on it. It is a story both personal and global. In your workshop, you will write two essays. The first will contextualize a personal story within a broader story of water. In this process, you will further develop your understanding of structure, refine your ability to weave research into narrative, and practice yielding surprise from juxtaposing the social and ecological. Your second essay will be piece of environmental journalism. Through conducting interviews, document research, and field work, this essay will embody an encounter with our current changing water geography and consequent social upheaval. During this unit, our class will speak with two environmental journalists about their career paths and current work. Essay topics will be wide-ranging and should be driven by student experiences and interests. Readings will include texts from Robin Wall Kimmerer, Naomi Klein, Angela Palm, Elizabeth Rush*texts/visiting writers*
Day/Time: Monday, 3:00-5:00 PM
Instructor consent required. Apply via creativewriting.uchicago.edu. Attendance on the first day is mandatory.