PRIZE WINNING NONFICTION SOURCES
Below is a list of well-written, well-respected non-fiction pieces by fabulously successful writers that any serious thinker and writer should read. Analyzing these non-fiction pieces as a writer will give you a better sense of which topics, elements, and techniques you will want to focus on in your own writing. It will also improve your understanding of how writers reach particular audiences to convey particular purposes. I hope reading these pieces will spark ideas for your own writing and provide models for how to execute your ideas in a way that will make them truly timeless. WEB SITES Anything from www.pulitzerprize.org Any TED talk BOOKS (Note: I have all the books in 239, so come see me if you want to borrow one.) Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (Read an excerpt here) Nickel and Dimed by Barbarah Ehrenreich (Read an excerpt here) In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (Read an excerpt here) When the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman (Read an excerpt here) Cold New World by William Finnegan (Read an excerpt here) Walden by Henry David Thoreau (Read an excerpt here) A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power by Jimmy Carter (Read an excerpt here) Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher (Read an excerpt here) The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Read an excerpt here) The Periodic Table by Primo Levi (Read an excerpt here) NONFICTION COLLECTIONS The Wise Ones Once Said by Coop Publishing House A Better Place by Coop Publishing House My Little Red Book by Rachel Kauder Nalebuff (website) HOW-TO BOOKS Writing to Change the World by Mary Pipher How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie FEATURE ARTICLES Girl in the Window by Lane DeGregory INTERVIEWS Krista Tippett Terri Gross (Interview with Gene Simmons from KISS) Barbara Walters (Interview with Michael Jackson) Oprah Winfrey (Interview with Elie Wiesel) MEMOIRS In the Memory Mines by Diane Ackerman Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Black and White and Jewish by Rebecca Walker Desimone Carr Rodney Arnold Night by Elie Wiesel Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank SPEECHES A More Perfect Union by Barack Obama This Is Water by David Foster Wallace Freedom From Fear by Aung San Suu Kyi OTHER WRITINGS Universal Declaration of Human Rights |
Why Nonfiction?
By Ms. Englart I read and write all forms/genres (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama), but I'm particularly drawn to nonfiction because, as Ms. Katz once said, "I'm a reality specialist." I love stories of all kinds, but my favorite ones are true stories, because I love hearing how people experience things, how they overcome hard times, how they live the arc of their lives. Some people think that nonfiction is "boring," but I totally disagree. I think it's the most interesting form, and that it is actually at the heart of everything that's written. That is, there is always something true in every piece of writing. Each poem, story, play, etc. starts with something we already know, feel, have experienced. Where the writer takes us from there is the interesting part. Nonfiction incorporates all the elements of fiction, and even a lot of poetic elements as well. A good story is a good story, after all. "Teaching" an Art By Ms. Englart Over the summer, I told someone that I'm a creative writing teacher, and they said, "Oh. Do you have a lot of papers to correct?" I've been asked that question before. The thing is, Creative Writing is not English. It's not math. It's an art. And, in my opinion, you don't "correct" art. When it comes to "teaching" an art, I don't believe there is a right way. I see my job as helping writers write, whatever that may look like for particular writers at a particular time in their writing. So, I focus on finding ways to encourage writers to keep on writing. Sometimes that looks like reading; sometimes it looks like just making time to write. It can look like reading your work aloud, or peer reviewing, or having a brainstorming session. It can look like me challenging a writer to write something different, something more, something less. It often involves time spent honoring and honing the creative process so it really works for the writer. It can look like me publishing the final draft on www.coopvoices.com or in Metamorphosis. It almost always looks like making sure the mechanics are correct so the piece can appear without mistakes overlaying its brilliance. So, that's kinda how I roll, teaching-wise. In terms of your independent nonfiction project, Here are some nonfiction texts that I have found really interesting, thought-provoking, and/or important in some way. |