*This workshop is now FULL; thank you for your understanding.

*Covid-19 Update: This fall, the Library’s programs will continue to meet virtually, via Zoom. Please check eLibris or our programs calendar for updates and line-up. This event is limited to Library members and requires advance reservation. Please use this form to sign up.

Creative nonfiction, a true story told in a literary style, marries fact with poetry, resulting in writing that is both informative and engaging. This session provides a start in creative nonfiction style by recreating dialog, characters, and setting to explore true events and their impact. In addition, participants will have an opportunity to explore their voices and possible writing genres, whether memoir, travel writing, or journalistic. Workshop participants will come away from the session with an idea for an essay and the start of a scene.

Workshop agenda:

Types of Creative Nonfiction (handout of genres) Intro + handout of genres. • Memoir • Travel Writing • Journalistic Free Writing

Brainstorm an essay idea

Building Blocks – Writing Scene • Characters • Dialog • Setting • Look at examples

Character and dialog exercise

Sharing of excerpts with the class (optional)

Q&A

Gail Folkins writes about her roots in the American West along with her year as an expat in Switzerland. She is the author of a memoir titled Light in the Trees (Texas Tech University Press, 2016), named a 2016 Foreword INDIES finalist in the nature category, and Texas Dance Halls: A Two-Step Circuit (Texas Tech University Press, 2006), named a 2007 Foreword Indies Finalist in popular culture. Gail teaches creative writing at Seattle’s Hugo House.