Comments on: Getting Real: Teaching Creative Nonfiction

By: Jill Talbot, St. Lawrence University

Jill Talbot, St. Lawrence University — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:16:34 +0000

I think the juxtaposition of “reality” television against the writing of personal essays is intriguing and one that I can see fomenting meaningful discussion for undergraduates. My recent semester’s struggle involved reticence–students who claimed (a la Lopate) that they weren’t yet at an age of reflection and that if they didn’t know who they were, how could they write a clear persona? Or–they were unwilling to expose themselves on the page. Now, these were beginners, mind you, and the struggle wasn’t class-wide yet enough of a presence to forestall purposeful workshop/discussion. In relation to current media–I think personas created via Twitter and FB are worthy of examination. Most students probably never think of the persona they’ve created through their tweets and Likes.

By: Robert Cowser, The University of Tennessee at Martin

Robert Cowser, The University of Tennessee at Martin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:55:44 +0000

Though I’ve never watched a reality show, your blog reassures me that I have missed little. The suggestion for the writer to delve deeply and avoid melodrama is good advice for the writer regardless of his/her age.

By: Ricky Barnes, Lasker Baptist Church

Ricky Barnes, Lasker Baptist Church — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:24:02 +0000

I would love to read some of your work and that of your students. Thanks for the inspiring and insightful piece.

By: Mandy Len, University of British Columbia

Mandy Len, University of British Columbia — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:55:41 +0000

It’s nice to hear someone cheer for teaching students to write about themselves.

Honest reflection, the kind that comes with time and perspective, is something many people are not naturally inclined toward–eighteen year olds or adults. But that distance between the author and the remembered self–the component of memoir that gives it complexity and depth of meaning–is something that can be modeled (or, in a classroom, taught). And whenever my students grasp it, it’s thrilling.