Writing Well About Illness

Medical events can bring tragedy and stress into our lives, but they can also inspire us creatively. This class is for memoir and narrative nonfiction students interested in writing about disease, surgery, and other maladies, and in learning how to balance scientific fact with the experiences of patients and caregivers. We’ll examine several readings, exploring different approaches to writing about illness. Through lecture and exercises, you'll learn some journalistic tools for researching the facts on any disease. Bring a current project, or an idea for a project, to use for in-class writing exercises and to receive some brief, on-the-spot feedback.