hi all,

by way of a first post, my email from last week that includes some of the admin info and what's expected re: workshopping and presenting the readings.

Jenny


Dear all,

as the LMS hasn’t been activated for this subject, this is a quick email
with admin matters and reminders; I would like to have some sort of Web
forum going so I’ll see if I can set up a site somewhere.

anyway… as a reminder, the homework for this week is to:

- do the reading. the theoretical pieces are very short, and the Hiroshima
piece is an easy read. Please also read the Jarhead piece I handed out.
Please also look at the small part of Week One’s reading that refers to
John Hersey (pp 35-37 of the reader).

- bring in a piece of nonfiction writing you like (or strongly dislike)
and be ready to say a very few words about why you like it, and if
possible the writer.

Presentations for next week are by: Hilary and Jessica (Tuesday), Sasha
and Bec (Wednesday), on the Zinnser piece and Hiroshima/Hersey
respectively.

The presentations only need to be 5-10 minutes, and it’s up to you if you
want to hand in a written summary. Basically they should be: an outline of
the main points; any relevant background on the author (eg if it’s a
writer talking about their practice, what sort of stuff do they write),
anything you want to add about writers referenced in the piece (for those
who may not be familiar with, say, Joan Didion), and most importantly:
questions about what the points in the piece mean for you as creative
non-fiction writers, things you disagree with, important points you feel
they’ve missed. Your job in this presentation is to get the others talking
if possible – the rest of the class’s job is to have read the piece in
question so they can respond.

Workshopping: if you are on for Week Three, in Week Two – the next class –
you need to bring in twenty copies of your 250-500 word non-fiction piece,
with a short outline or statement of aims for the larger piece. This piece
does not have to be relevant to the themes of the course; you will get a
chance to workshop folio work in the second half of semester.

Tuesday class:

Tim
Rachel

Wednesday class:

Charles
Bridget
Kevin

If you haven’t workshopped your own work before and aren’t sure what it
involves, do ask me. I’ll talk about workshopping etiquette next week and
before we actually start.

Thanks,

Jenny

ps: I am working from a class list sent out last Thursday. If you have
since changed times, please let me know and I’ll stop emailing you. But if
you are on to workshop/present and don’t plan to turn up, you MUST let me
know by the Monday evening, with reasons.