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NEWS and EVENTS
Creative Nonfiction's summer issue is packed with prize-winning work! And it's almost here, too.
#42 features winning essays from "The Night," CNF's MFA Program-Off and the Norman Mailer College Writing contest. Plus, Phillip Lopate  and Lee Gutkind grapple with the implications of facts; Pulitzer Prize-winner Ira Berkow finds inspiration in the art world; Paul West enters the mind of Nazi turncoat Hermann Fegelein in a new Pushing the Boundaries selection; Susan Orlean talks about teaching young writers; and more.
It's the first issue in a series of three to feature original illustrations by Pittsburgh artists and our first-ever issue to be printed in full color!
#42 will ship to subscribers in September. Subscribe before Friday, August 26, and be among the first to receive the issue!
Or, get an even earlier glimpse by joining us for "The Night: A Creative Nonfiction Release Party & Reading." Peruse a gallery of the issue's original illustrations, created by Pittsburgh-based artist Seth Clark, and listen as the winners of "The Night," Bud Shaw and J.C. Hallman, read from their winning pieces.
The event will take place on Saturday, September 10, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Irma Freeman Center for Imagination in Pittsburgh. The first 100 guests to arrive will receive complimentary copies of the issue!
In the meantime, don't forget to register for one of CNF's fall online courses--the early registration discount ends next week! Sign up before Monday, August 29, and save $50; or register anytime with a friend and save $25. Fall courses include: In other news, a huge congratulations is due to Chet Phillips, whose story "Chasing Lions" was the Editors' Prize winner in CNF's "Animals" issue earlier this year, and who was recently chosen as the runner-up for the PEN Emerging Writer Award in nonfiction!
Last, in case you missed it: you can listen to audio from last month's Talk of the Nation, with CNF Editor Lee Gutkind, and read an excerpt from CNF's new end-of-life collection.
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Submission Deadlines
| Sept. 30, 2011
TRUE CRIME
Nov. 30, 2011
BECOMING A NURSE |
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Events
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Sept. 10, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
The Night: a Creative Nonfiction Release Party and Reading
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
FROM WRITERS: The NYT Book Review dishes on writers' eating habits, including Lord Byron's vinegar-sipping, Whitman's oysters for breakfast, and other debatable treats. CNF Editorial Advisory Board member Diane Ackerman reflects on man's often conflicted relationship with the wild, and Cnfonline section editor Alice Bradley talks about writing, blogging and her favorite reads. ON CRAFT: The New Yorker publishes a detailed account of bin Laden's capture based on interviews not with the Navy SEALS involved in the mission, but with the officials who debriefed them. The Washington Post argues that the sourcing should have been made clearer, and the Poynter Institute offers several options for citing sources without interrupting narrative. Plus, author Paulette Bates Alden pens a smart articulation of "shape" in writing. FOR FUN: The Niemen Storyboard presents an amusing truthiness rating scale for memoirs--charts, graphs, and even a worksheet for writers at home. And Full Stop offers a sneak peak into the conference schedule for "AWP 2012." |
 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
The CNF "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Mug $13
Show off your loyalty to the genre--and to Creative Nonfiction!--with the CNF "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Mug.
Its simple, yet bold, design features the CNF logo on one side and the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" catch phrase on the other. Just think: it'll look great on your kitchen table, writing desk, in the office break room, or anywhere. It's the perfect 16-ounce mug--for whatever you're drinking.
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| cnftweets
The CNF Daily Twitter Contest is one more way to get your work into CNF. We've just chosen 10 tweets to be included in #42; yours could be next! 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:
JULY 17
pattywetli I take a deep breath and dial. She picks up on the second ring. Her voice doesn't sound like cancer, it sounds like Amy. #cnftweet
JULY 14
myurbanwild Teeter-totter talk: Girl asks, "How do you know two people are married?" Boy shrugs, says, "They're yelling at the same kids." #cnftweet
JULY 7
PennyJars Ma never wants to bother anyone, she doesn't call or knock on doors. She just sits and waits until the guilt is nice and ripe. #cnftweet
JULY 3
devakali I sat outside in the steam through the monsoon rains counting thunder and lightning, back when I was a smoker, when I was a wife. #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 10 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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