ENG 209Cr Writ: Literary Journalism

Catalog

Literary Journalism: The Reported Personal Essay invites each student to revisit a moment or event that snagged your attention and inspired you to look back, even briefly, to wonder, "What was that about?" That pang of curiosity is often a launching point for a fairly new hybrid form in magazine and newspaper writing: the the reported personal essay, which combines memoir with journalism. We will read a wide range of reported personal essays by award-winning writers on topics as diverse as growing up in Appalachia with bad teeth, enjoying wilderness camping as a Black woman and noticing that no other hikers look like you, and discovering in mid-life that you have an aunt who has been institutionalized her whole life. Across the semester, you will report and compose your own reported personal essay with close attention to the truth of the matter (through research and interviews) and to the flow and effectiveness of your prose. Each weekly seminar will include a mix of lecture and small-group workshops.