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NEWS and EVENTS
Don't miss out on CNF's literary feast! Subscribe by Friday, July 22 to begin with #41: the Food issue, full of new stories about food and our relationship to what we eat--from pork to lasagna, and from pomegranates to toasted grasshoppers.
Plus, Ruth Reichl talks about the differences between men and women (in the kitchen and on the page) and how she's turning her Twitter feed into a book; Phillip Lopate shares an uncomfortable secret about teaching creative writing; CNF Editor Lee Gutkind breaks out of the English Department; Robert Atwan examines an element of E. B. White's style; and more.
The New York Times is reading it--you should, too!
After Friday, it's full speed ahead with #42, which (just between us) is shaping up to be a real winner. How could it not be? This issue features the winners of "The Night," CNF's MFA Program-Off and the Norman Mailer College Writing Award. So it seems fitting, if not downright called for, to celebrate.
Join us in Pittsburgh on Friday, September 10 for "The Night," a reading and release party hosted by Creative Nonfiction. Get an early glimpse of #42, peruse a gallery of the issue's original illustrations, and listen as "The Night" contest winners Bud Shaw and J.C. Hallman read from their winning pieces. The event will take place from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Irma Freeman Center for Imagination.
In the meantime, be sure to tune in to NPR's "Talk of the Nation" on Monday, July 25, to hear Lee Gutkind discuss CNF's new collection of end of life essays, "Twelve Breaths a Minute." Check your local listings, or listen to the show online.
Plus, we've just announced our fall semester of online classes. Register before August 29 to receive an early registration discount, or sign up with a friend and save an additional $25.
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Submission Deadlines
| Sept. 30, 2011
TRUE CRIME
Nov. 30, 2011
BECOMING A NURSE |
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Events
| July 25, 2011
Lee Gutkind a Featured Guest on NPR's Talk of the Nation
Sept. 10, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
The Night: a Reading and Release Party Hosted by Creative Nonfiction Irma Freeman Center for Imagination, Pittsburgh
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Support CNF
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DISTRACTIONS:
WHAT WE READ WHEN WE SHOULD BE WORKING
PONDERED: Dani Shapiro considers "The Me My Child Mustn't Know" and
how to balance her responsibilities as a memoirist and as a mother. Virginia Heffernan talks typos: are they becoming more frequent? And should we be upset about this? IN PRINT: Literary foodies rejoice: The New York Times reports on a slew of new food-themed releases (including, yes, our very own #41). DISCUSSED: The AT&T Tech Channel posts a new video interview with CNF Editor Lee Gutkind, in which he explains the increasing importance of narrative in science writing. |
 SUBMISSION CALLS
TRUE CRIME Postmark Deadline: September 30, 2011 For an upcoming issue, Creative Nonfiction is seeking new essays about true crimes--detailed reports of premeditation, follow-through and aftermath, whether gleaned from police blotters or the news, passed down as small-town legend or family lore, or committed in cold blood. We want true stories of petty theft, identity theft, embezzlement or first-degree murder; of jaywalking, selling (or maybe buying) weed or assault; of crimes and punishments and unsolved mysteries. Think "The Devil in the White City" (Larson), "In Cold Blood" (Capote) and "Iphigenia in Forest Hills" (Malcolm); or "Half a Life" (Strauss), "Lucky" (Sebold) and "The Night of the Gun" (Carr). If it's against the law and someone--maybe even you!--did it anyway, we want to know all about it. Creative Nonfiction editors will award $1,000 for Best Essay. Essays must be unpublished, 4,000 words maximum, postmarked by September 30, 2011, and clearly marked "True Crime" on both the essay and the outside of the envelope. View our complete submissions guidelines here. BOOK PROJECT: BECOMING A NURSE Postmark Deadline: November 30, 2011 Creative Nonfiction is seeking essays by and about nurses for a new book, "Becoming a Nurse: Real Stories of Nurses, Their Lives, and Their Patients." "Becoming a Nurse" will present readers with the world of medicine from the perspective of nurses in hospitals, in-home care programs, long-term care facilities, hospices, and the armed forces as they tell stories that recall and recreate the most salient moments of their careers. We are looking for writers who can write dramatically and vividly about the profession. Essays can range from 2,500-5,000 words but should be written in a narrative form, with scenes, description, vivid characters and a distinctive voice. GENERAL Accepted Year-Round We are always on the lookout for true stories, well told, about any subject. We also accept queries for columns and articles about specific topics. For complete guidelines and to view upcoming CNF issues and contests, please visit us online. |
| NEW THIS MONTH
Becoming a Doctor is now available in paperback! $15.95 
In this poignant and fascinating collection, doctors who are writers (and vice versa) relate their real-life journeys from intern to specialist and from student to teacher, reflecting on the rewards, disillusionments, and triumphs experienced along the way. They portray the broad arc of a doctor's professional life--from a medical student's uneasy first encounter with a cadaver, through the long days and nights of residency, to the later years of practice and teaching informed by hard-won wisdom.
Abigail Zuger remembers the emotional yet rewarding work of caring for an ill woman in the early days of the AIDS crisis. Danielle Ofri takes up dance and finds it brings her to understand the medical pas de deux with a patient. Sandeep Jauhar reflects on the power that a doctor's words can wield over a patient. And Robert Coles remembers his time as a protégé to the still home-visiting doctor-poet William Carlos Williams. Perri Klass, Peter D. Kramer, Kay Redfield Jamison, Lauren Slater, and others--all add tales of pivotal moments in their lives in the profession.
Read praise for Becoming a Doctor and a full table of contents here.
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| cnftweets
The CNF Daily Twitter Contest is one more way to get your work into CNF. Check out our top 6 tweets in #41 and participate daily for the chance to be published in an upcoming issue!
Still not sure what we're looking for? Here are a few recent winners, to serve as examples and inspiration:
JUNE 18
ameliapisapia We careened around the Amalfi Coast into the darkness. He shouted from the front of the Vespa, "Leave the memories beautiful!" #cnftweet
June 12
Jenny_Poore Sun roasts coconut flavored skin, chlorine hair like straw, freezepop plastic crumples/dropped. My children summer as we once did. #cnftweet
June 11
PennyJars Every street has trees like fallen soldiers, amputated stumps, the squelch of chainsaws grinding. We find litter, day old weather. #cnftweet
June 7
SusanRukeyser The sucking darkness yawns, so she anchors herself with food. Soon she's too big to be swallowed. But now she fears the light. #cnftweet
All of the past winners are available on our profile page under the "Favorites" tab.
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ONLINE CLASSES
Whether you're looking to branch into a new area of writing or trying creative nonfiction for the first time, CNF's fall semester offers four classes for writers of all skill levels. Classes include written lectures, online discussions, suggested readings, and peer review (in addition to instructor review).
Classes run for ten weeks, from September 12 to November 20, and are limited to 12 students per section. Visit our website to register and to view complete course details.
Sign up before August 29 to take advantage of an early registration discount!
Foundations of Creative Nonfiction introduces writers to the fundamentals of creative nonfiction, exploring both the techniques used to gather information and the literary skills needed to turn bare facts into personal and compelling essays. Participants will learn the basics of interviewing, immersion, research, and other reporting skills.
Writing the Personal Essay takes a close look at the writing and research skills needed to write a memoir or personal essay. We'll discuss how to best use essential literary elements such as detail, dialogue, structure, and description, as well as how to collect information through interviews, research, and other methods.
Advanced Memoir & Personal Essay is designed for those who have already explored the basics of personal writing and wish to move on to a larger project or more challenging forms. Participants may work on sections of a memoir or on personal essays in a variety of styles. Class members will learn how to structure their chapters or essays, how to incorporate research into personal writing, how to develop character, how to use descriptive language effectively, and more.
Immersion Writing explores the genre in which the writer observes, participates in, and otherwise intimately explores his or her subject. We will take an in-depth look at the history and craft of this style of nonfiction writing that was revolutionized over four decades ago by trailblazers such as Gay Talese, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe. Students will learn important fly-on-the-wall techniques such as sharp observation, skillful note taking, laidback interviewing, and how to organize and structure immersion stories.
Visit our FAQ page for additional information, and if you don't find what you need, direct questions to course instructor Anjali Sachdeva at sachdeva[at]creativenonfiction.org.
Registration includes a 4-issue subscription to Creative Nonfiction. Please note: due to space limitations, registrants may withdraw anytime before classes begin on Sept. 12, 2011, but will forfeit a non-refundable application fee of $50. No refunds will be granted once classes begin.
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