Creative non-fiction

Explore and experiment with forms on the boundaries of fact and fiction, such as creative non-fiction, fictionalised memoir and personal essays.

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Key course information

Dates
17/04/12 - 26/06/12

Day(s)
Tue

Duration
11 weeks

Time
14:45 - 16:45

Fees
Full fee: £108
Senior fee: £61
Concession: £29

Venue
KS - Keeley Street

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Course code
HW263

Availability
This date is full

This course is full

Occasionally places may become available. You can add yourself to the waiting list.

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Course outline

What is the course about?

The course aims to encourage you to develop your skills and confidence as writers of creative non-fiction.

What topics will we cover?

Exploration of writing forms on the boundaries of fact and fiction, including:
- Life writing (biography and autobiography)
- Memoir/fictionalised memoir
- Faction
- Personal essays.

By the end of this course you should be able to:

- Respond to, and assess, pieces of writing with sensitivity
- Demonstrate an understanding of the process of writing creative non-fiction forms
- Identify a range of ways to help you generate ideas for writing creative non-fiction forms
- Apply greater critical awareness to your writing.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

Level 1. You will have done a Ways into Creative Writing course beforehand or will have been writing creatively.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

Individual writing exercises, analysis of short published pieces through pair and group discussion, group workshopping of student writing and short written tasks. Some tasks may be completed outside class. During the
course, you will also be asked to work independently on one piece of writing which will be developed in workshops.

Tutor Bio
Lilian Pizzichini is the author of Dead Men's Wages: the Secrets of a London Conman and his Family (winner of 2002 CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction), published by Picador, and The Blue Hour: A Portrait of Jean Rhys (BBC Radio Four Book of the Week), published by Bloomsbury in 2009. Both works explore the genres of biography and memoir. She has worked as a journalist on the TLS and the Literary Review, as well as writing travel pieces and arts and books reviews for national broadsheets. She currently reviews for the Sunday Telegraph. Her next book will be published in 2013 by Bloomsbury. It is a work of creative non-fiction entitled My Life in a Year, with Scenes of Grime and Scholars. She teaches Creative Writing to undergraduate and postgraduate students at Kingston University, and has been a Writer-in-Residence in prisons. Her next project is a crime fiction trilogy.

City lit reserves the right to change course tutors or venues from those advertised in this outline. In line with our refund policy we are unable to grant a refund on the grounds of a change of tutor/venue.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Writing materials. One piece of A4 paper. A folder / journal.
A familiarity with the texts listed below would be helpful:
Jenny Diski Stranger on a Train
Peter Ackroyd Dickens
Iain Sinclair Lights out for the Territory
Rachel Cusk Aftermath
Essays:
“Street Haunting: A London Adventure” by Virginia Woolf
“The Watercress Girl” by Henry Mayhew
“How it Feels to be Coloured Me” by Zora Neale Hurston
These can be found online:
"How It Feels to Be Colored Me," by Zora Neale Hurston - Classic Essays and Speeches
"Street Haunting: A London Adventure," by Virginia Woolf - Classic British Essays
"The Watercress Girl," by Henry Mayhew - Classic Essays - Excerpt From "London Labour and the London Poor".

Do I need to have an interview before I can enrol?

No.

What feedback will I get?

You will receive regular feedback from your tutor throughout the course, as and when appropriate. At the end of the course you and your tutor are asked to assess the progress you have made.

How will I be able to give my views on the course?

Please complete the evaluation form at the end of your course. These are monitored and help us to continually improve our courses.

How do I find out if I can get some support for my learning?

You may be interested in: education and careers advice; financial and childcare support; disability support; support for Deaf and hearing-impaired students; dyslexia support; English and maths support; counselling, and library services (supported learning centre). To find out what may be available to you, and how to apply, see page 213 of the 11/12 course guide, or visit www.citylit.ac.uk/students

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

General information and advice on courses at City Lit is available from the Information and Advice Shop, open Monday to Friday 12:00 – 19:00 during term time, and Monday to Friday 12:00 – 17:00 out of term time. See the course guide for term dates and further details.

Who can I contact for further information?

Tel: 020 7492 2652

humanities@citylit.ac.uk

Advice times:

During term-time Monday 12.30–13.30 and 17.30–18.30 Thursday 12.30–13.30 and 17.30–18.30

Non term-time Monday 17.30–18.30 Thursday 12.30–13.30.

To enrol on a course, call 020 7831 7831.

Select another date / day / time

Dates	Day(s)	Time	Duration	Fees	Snr	Conc	Code	Availability
17/04/12 to 26/06/12	Tue	14:45 - 16:45	11 weeks	£108	£61	£29	HW263	Full	» Select
10/01/12 to 20/03/12	Tue	14:45 - 16:45	11 weeks	£118	£67	£32	HW262	Finished	» Select