Description
Eight Wednesdays, Oct 7–Dec 2, 5:45–7:45 p.m. (no meeting Oct 28)
Open to all
Limited to 12 participants
Hybrid Workshop*
Narrative non-fiction took off in the 1960s, when writers like Tom Wolfe, Joan Didion, and Gay Talese started using the techniques of fiction writers to tell true stories. Sometimes called New Journalism, the genre exploded when fiction writers like Truman Capote and Norman Mailer switched over to non-fiction, attaining major critical and popular success. The ever-increasing demand for non-fiction writing highlights readers’ desire to connect with stories that make sense of their surroundings.
Narrative non-fiction blends reporting, research, and storytelling. In this workshop we’ll learn about how to write scenes that are true to life. Instead of simply stating what happened, or recounting events chronologically, we’ll explore how to create a scene, as a screenwriter or novelist or non-fiction author might. Your task will be to impose a narrative on reality—and make it interesting to readers. We’ll talk about the techniques behind writing about your own experience, and about documenting other people’s lives. We’ll discuss what constitutes non-fiction—and what doesn’t. We’ll also speak about mining rich veins of source material from dusty old books, or weird scientific studies, or unusual academic treatises.
Each of you will be asked to present one piece of writing to the group, which will be workshopped by the group. (Participants will read and discuss each other’s writing.) I will also hand out some examples of narrative non-fiction to illustrate what it is we’re speaking about. These will also inform and inspire your own work in the workshop. No advance work is required for the workshop, but do have an idea of what you’d like to work on in our time together. In our second session, we’ll be discussing what each student plans on workshopping.
*This workshop will take place at the QWF Office (Room 3, 1200 Atwater Avenue, Westmount, Quebec) with up to 2 virtual spots for participants who are unable to attend in-person because of distance or disability. By default, all workshop registrations are for in-person spots. If you would like to request a virtual slot, contact John at john@qwf.org stating the reason for which you would need the virtual spot, then wait for a response before registering. Please do not register until you receive confirmation of a virtual spot for you.
Workshop leader
Adam Leith Gollner is the author of The Fruit Hunters (a New York Times Editors’ Choice) and The Book of Immortality (recipient of The QWF’s Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction), as well as several collaborative books on nature, art, and literature. A contributing editor at Vanity Fair, and the former editor of Vice Magazine, his work has been published by The Paris Review, The New Yorker, GQ, and The New York Times. His forthcoming non-fiction book is the story of an amateur art sleuth who tracks down lost masterpieces—and who cracked one of the most confounding art heists in American history.
Instagram: @adamgollner
