Creative Writing - Nonfiction

What’s Creative Nonfiction, anyway?

The personal essay, memoir, autobiography, prose poetry, biography, aphorisms, journals and diaries, letters, personal film—how’s that for a start?

Students in the Creative Nonfiction Program at Columbia College Chicago experience a variety of workshops, reading classes, genre classes, and many others.  This program is one of two creative writing concentrations in the English Department, and one of the most focused nonfiction undergraduate programs in the country.

The program grows from our workshops, where students explore what makes nonfiction a lively place for literary art. Each student searches for a distinct voice by writing personal essays, prose poetry, pieces of memoir, biographical sketches, and hybrid works that combine genres.  The program culminates in a thesis seminar from which students bring a fully formed body of work, a collection of their best creative nonfiction writing.

Both in class and out, our students work closely with writers who have published books and individual works in many forms, and have extensive experience as teachers and editors. The program starts with Creative Nonfiction: Beginning Workshop. See if it opens up an interesting world for you.

Contact David Lazar, Director of the Nonfiction Program, dlazar@colum.edu for more information on the program.