Traveling into the Word: A Workshop for Developing and Deepening Nonfiction

Whenever we travel, be it across the globe, country, or new part of town, we experience life with a new lens. This workshop aims to bring the traveler’s spirit to the page, even if—especially if—you are writing about your home place. Inspired by close readings of exemplary creative nonfiction, we’ll explore how to navigate structure, elucidate style, find your form and voice, and go deeper with the work-in-progress you bring to class. This could be a first draft or simply a solid outline. We will learn how to tell true stories that explore the human condition, reveal the natural world, plumb our inner lives, and find the meaning in moments ordinary and extraordinary. Our collaborative goal will be develop these works-in-progress—to turn smoke into substance.

Photo by Ashley Garmon

Meera Subramanian is an award-winning journalist who has explored the disappearance of India’s vultures, questioned the “Good Anthropocene,” sought out fragile shorelines, and investigated perceptions of climate change among conservative Americans. She is a contributing editor of Orion and former MIT Knight Science Journalism fellow, and her narrative nonfiction book A River Runs Again: India’s Natural World in Crisis, was a 2016 Orion Book Award finalist. You can find her at www.meerasub.org.