The rigors of nonfiction are tied to telling the truth, fact-checking the truth, and working with evidentiary materials. The factually accurate in nonfiction is of utmost importance—but how do we write the factually accurate when, for example, the history of a people hasn’t been kept or has actively been erased? Or how can we acknowledge on the page the murk and the inexact quality of memory? In this workshop, thinking of Michael Taussig’s important summation of the work of anthropology, the “subject is not the truth of being but the social being of truth,” we will think about the lenses available to us in nonfiction. We’ll read some work that widens the scope of nonfiction, utilize different lenses, and write in class using prompts inspired by our readings, in addition to workshop participant pieces.
Applications for Lit Fest Advanced Workshops are open here until March 8. To learn more about Lit Fest, tuition, fellowships, and advanced class admittance, click here.
Accepted participants will submit up to 15-20 pages by May 12, and will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with Ingrid during the week of class.
