Statement: Skills I Hope to Gain Throughout Readings in Nonfiction

            When I first signed up for this course, I thought it would be a smart class to take in my first semester of graduate work. From its description, the course appeared to be a survey of modern nonfiction and, being that my formal writing background is in fiction, I thought it would be a good idea to take a class that would familiarize me with the genre to which I will be dedicating the next three years. In preparation, I spent part of the summer reading through essay anthologies, attempting to brush up on the genre’s major names, styles and formats. I came to class last Wednesday ready for a standard literature class based around a textbook and class discussion.

            To my extreme delight, I quickly learned that my expectations for Readings in Nonfiction were far too low. While I am sure that our course work will go far to familiarize me with recent nonfiction, it appears that—more interestingly—we will be delving into the possibilities of both the genre and modern mediums, exploring the advantages and limitations of nonfiction in the digital age. I became completely sold on the course when Paige announced that her goal as our instructor is to convince us that the era in which we now live is perhaps the best time to be a writer. What an electrifying concept! At a time when divulging my profession often results in doubtful expressions and all too frequent discussion of the “death of the printed word,” approaching nonfiction writing as a living, growing, thriving world seems wonderfully revolutionary.

            The skills I hope to obtain from the course therefore go beyond mere knowledge of the big names and big titles. I hope instead to gain a firmer grasp of the possibilities, as well as some of the technical aspects, of digital media. I hope to obtain knowledge of the stylistic variances being employed in the modern nonfiction genre. I aim to become more comfortable with digital mediums and to explore ways in which they may aid in or become a part of my own writing work. Finally, I hope to start and craft a critical dialogue with the mediums of nonfiction that will continue long after this course is completed.