This is not a proper blog post, I admit, but it seems to me that some teachers of creative nonfiction might not be aware of all the resources that are out there on the web, free of charge, that might be useful in a creative nonfiction classroom. Here are five of my favorites. By all means, include yours in the comments—especially if you edit or read for a magazine with a significant online presence that instructors and students ought to be aware of.
1. Brevity. Edited by Dinty W. Moore, Brevity is an excellent online magazine of brief nonfiction, from some of the best writers in the field. From Brevity’s description:
“For more than a decade now, Brevity has published well-known and emerging writers working in the extremely brief (750 words or less) essay form, along with craft essays and book reviews. Though still committed to the mission of publishing new writers, Brevity has enjoyed an embarrassment of recent riches, including the work of two Pulitzer prize finalists, numerous NEA fellows, Pushcart winners, Best American authors, and writers from India, Egypt, Ireland, Spain, Malaysia, and Japan. Authors published in Brevity include Sherman Alexie, Lia Purpura, Terese Svoboda, John Calderazzo, Steven Barthelme, Mark Yakich, Ander Monson, Caitlin Horrocks, Jon Pineda, Brenda Miller, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Robin Hemley, Lee Martin, Rebecca McClanahan, Robin Behn, Abby Frucht, Barbara Hurd, Bret Lott, Ira Sukrungruang, Rigoberto González, Judith Kitchen, Michael Martone, and Diana Hume George.”
Work from Brevity has been anthologized and reprinted in venues including Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, Utne Reader, the Short Takes anthology, the Best Creative Nonfiction anthology from W.W. Norton, and many recent writing textbooks.
2. Brevity Blog. For news and commentary about the form, nothing beats Brevity magazine’s blog, which is updated frequently. Any time there’s a debate in the world of creative nonfiction, you can count on some smart blog posts from a variety of contributors. Continue reading “Web of Truths: 5 Sites for Creative Nonfiction”