New non-fiction writing course

02 Apr - 29 Apr 2024

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How to put onto paper what exists in reality? How to choose, from the stories that surround us, those worth telling? What are the ethical boundaries and what is the freedom of creation within non-fiction? How to develop an authorial voice in personal narratives? These are some of the questions that will guide us over the course of five sessions, exploring non-fiction narrative from the initial idea and necessary research to finding different creative forms for the final text. Between writing the self and writing the other, the Living to tell and telling to live course addresses authors who have stood out in autobiographical writing, literary journalism, hybrid essays and documentary writing in general, and suggests methods and strategies for each participant to write their own texts based on reality.

Personal essay, memoir, poetic account, oral testimony literature – from Svetlana Alexievich to Anne Carson, and through authors such as Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux or James Baldwin, creative non-fiction writing has produced some of the most innovative works of contemporary literature and even challenged the classification of what constitutes literature. In this course, after reading and discussing some creative non-fiction texts, each student will write their own text, undertaking an investigation into reality – or a single true story – reflecting on themes of their choice, and seeking to develop their own voice and outlook on the world.

 

Who is it for:
Anyone with a desire to write and explore the literary universe of writing based on reality.

When
2, 8, 15, 22, 29 April 2024, from 6 pm to 8:30 pm

Where
Rua de Santa Catarina, 9, Lisbon

LIMITED PLACES

 

Susana Moreira Marques is the author of the literary non-fiction books Agora e na hora da nossa morte (translated into English, French and Spanish), Quanto tempo tem um dia, Lenços pretos, chapéus de palha e brincos de ouro and Terceiro andar sem elevador. Her work has been published in magazines such as Granta, Tin House and Literary Hub, and in media outlets such as Público, Jornal de Negócios and BBC World Service. She was a columnist for Antena 1 and, more recently, for the newspaper Mensagem de Lisboa, where she began writing a series of «Notes from Lisbon». She also writes for television and film. She lives in Lisbon.