Journalists, narrative historians, and biographers all work to reconstruct past events from interviews, archives, and in-person investigation before writing up their findings in an immersive and engaging form. This series of practical writing workshops with Distinguished Writer in Residence Cal Flyn will challenge its participants to produce nonfiction accounts of past events from decades ago, right into the present day -- and to grapple with the technical difficulties that come with uncertain histories, gaps in documentary evidence, and unreliable memories. We will also undertake close reading of carefully selected extracts from writers including Katherine Boo, Sadiya Hartman, Truman Capote, and Patrick Radden Keefe, and practice our research skills using Wesleyan's own archives. |