Creative Nonfiction

While I am trying to de-couple writing and literature this term, I am also trying out different writing and literature projects in each of my classes this term.  I want writing to be, as Yagelski writes, a way of "being together" in the classroom, and after spending a semester getting to know my students as individuals and as classroom communities -- acknowledging and embracing that each community has developed  a unique identity, chemistry, and flow -- I am curious as to how the writing we do (together) will shape and further cultivate such ways of being. In other words, I want to know how the writing we do impacts our community and humanity in this space we share.

Day One - brainstorm
The creative nonfiction project began using Dr. Berne's teacher-as-writer framework. I sat down to talk through/think through aspects of my history -- events, memories, favorite things, celebrations, deaths. While I had Nancy Atwell's "writing territories" in mind, I did not want to have a long list of things, and I also wanted to acknowledge that writers often look outside themselves for inspiration (e.g.,lists of prompts, idea generator website). Thus, I took out a list and scanned through some of the ideas marking the ones that sparked memories. Then, I turned to my notebook's blank page and made a four-corners brainstorm (similar to the one I made for the argument brainstorm). Below each idea, I made a list of scenes and details I might share and asked "so what?" after each one -- again, using Nancy Atwell's terminology.

Also try writing from a picture using Visual Thinking Strategies to then prompt writing:

Day Two -- planning
I decided on writing about my memory at the age of twelve, I think, of my cousin Ray's death (age 14). He died of leukemia. I had a vivid memory of my dad telling me about this, and I had another vivid memory of riding in the "back-back" of the family "sport-about" to and from the funeral - -my first funeral. I planned the images.

Students paired-up and talked through two memories and decided on a which one had more "so what," which one they wanted to explore, and which one seemed to interest the reader.  Then, they went back to their notebooks to write out a plan for tomorrow.

Day Three -- drafting
I looked a my notes, my plan for writing and sat down to start. I talked through my choice to begin with a sensory scene. Somehow, I knew that this moment of hearing about the death of Ray was important, perhaps more important, than the funeral. I was right. As I drafted, I started realizing that this memory was not so much about my first funeral but how I can to respond to death -- was it a socially conditioned response? how did I know to cry or to question? I wrote, and then stopped when time ran out -- making a list of things to finish or continue tomorrow.

Students noticed that I used sensory language and dialogue and that I tried to show movement of the characters (me and my father) as well as my own thoughts and feelings.

Student drafted - -and they said they "enjoyed" writing today. Because time "ran out," I asked them to write out the ideas they had for finishing the story so that they could pick up where they left off

Day Four -- re-read, stay or abandon
I read-through my draft and talked through finishing it or abandoning it.

Students noticed that I made changes as I read-through and that I talked through whether or not this was an idea I wanted to stay with or perhaps abandon. I felt like there was more to figure out and stayed with it. I wrote a bit more, and then told them how I realized that I was not following my plan anymore but rather going to a new place -- bringing my memory from age 12 to my reaction to death at my age now. I am thinking that this was sort of a moment that made me realize that I don't cry about death anymore -- I wanted to write more about this so that I might figure out why that is.

Today, we also read an article about bearing witness and truth. This does relate do the literature we will read -- a memoir --but it is more about how when we talk and share our writing that we are witnessing (as writers) and bear witness (as readers and listeners): http://talkingwound.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/bearing-witness-to-the-witness-some-thoughts-on-hearing-wounds-talk/.

Student drafted continuing or started a new topic.

Day Five --talking through the So What? (Atwell)

In my teacher-as-writer mode, I say down to write. First, I read through my essay, and then I stopped to ask "What is this about anyway?" I talked through it a little when I "realized" that I need to talk TO someone. As I write, I discover. As I write, I am witnessing an event (in many ways for the first time). I realized that my experience as a twelve year old may have shaped, likely shaped who I am now and how I think about death (see my narrative). I needed to talk through this and then try to figure out the So What? At this point, I knew that I could extend my story to the present, or that I could keep it in the past, but I did have to have some So What to help the reader, my witness.

Students noticed the above, and then students partnered up to talk through their discoveries. And then drafted.

Day Six -- a break from personal narratives and some practice in fiction
Today, we talked about Atwell's narrative checklist:

title - not a label
lead -- action, dialogue, sensory image
personality -- thoughts, feelings, observations
dialogue
action -- movements, gestures, facial expressions
language -- poetic techniques
pace
So What?

We watched a Disney short: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEMrKxZLZWQ. It is a movie without narration. Students were captivated witnessing the encounter between these two people. They "felt" and appreciated the art of the short, and so I challenged them to tell the story with language to see 1) how language is art and can also evoke feeling and appreciate - -that they can create it, and 2) that the stories would all be different because we are writers and artists. We bring our own experiences to a text or to a film that shapes our understanding of it, our experience of it, and ultimately nuances of meaning.

Because we are thinking about personal narratives in this class, I asked students to write their stories in first person - -the man or woman -- and to think about the narrative checklist. Students wrote for about 15 minutes non-stop. Then we had author's chair whereby students shared the different artistic representations of the short film. Even though the plot line was established by the film, the writing stilled asked for imaginative rendering of the shared texts (film). Students had a back story for both characters. "I hate my job," was the first line in one story with the man's narration. "I love spring, especially when I am about to get my dream job," was another first line from the woman's point of view.

Day Seven:
For literature/reading class, we are reading a personal narrative/memoir, so as we read today, I asked students to notice the narrative features. Where is she sharing thoughts, feelings, and observations? Where are places that she captures movement, gestures, facial expressions? How does she choose what to narrate and what to render into dialogue?

Then we were ready for peer reading. Using suggestions from Dr. Berne and Atwell, students arranged themselves into groups of four. Because these are personal narratives, reading for people they feel comfortable with is important. I started by reviewing the different roles during peer reading:

1. Writer -- reads aloud the essay (do not let students look at it, or they will be more concerned with conventions than ideas)
2. Listener #1 -- says what he or she liked about the narrative
3. Listener #2 -- gives feedback related to narrative structure -- thoughts and feelings, character movement, places for dialogue, parts that need stretching, parts that might not be necessary, questions, suggestions for poetic technique, asking about the So What?
4. Listener #3 -- also gives the narrative structure feedback,
5. Listener #1 -- asks the writer to summarize the feedback
6. Writer -- write down feedback -- do not respond or answer to steps 2, 3, 4 -- just listen
7. Rotate (take a paper plate, divide it in four with the four jobs written on the plate; use the plate to direct peer reading procedures).

This was a beautiful experience. Students were so proud to read their essays to each other (some embarrassed or shy, too). For students who did more telling than showing, they quickly realized as much. For the writer, listening to the feedback without responding was a challenge. I interrupted the peer reading to remind them that in readers generally cannot ask questions of the writer, they ask questions of the text.

After peer reading, I handed out colored pens and asked students to write revisions into their first drafts.

Day Eight --

While students are reading silently, I will have conferences where the students will read their second drafts to me. I will respond thusly:
1. As a reader, what I liked
2. As a writer, what narrative features were strong.
3. As a teacher,3) suggestions for the 3 draft.

Student Example #1

Hometown Vows

10 hours on a plan can really get to you. Well, as an eight year old you just want to get there. Home. Back home to Poland for summer break. My ciocia Ewelina got married in the summer of 2007 to my now wojek Pawel. I remember when the plane landed and everyone was clapping, for the flight was great. Then getting off that boring, yet fun plan and running to greet my aunt. Of course it was longer then that since we had to get our luggage and go through customs. Let me tell you it seems to take forever to get past customs when there are lots of people at the airport. My eight year old self just wanted to get to my grandparents house. Just my luck it took like another three hours to get there. Not that I’m complaining, I took a nice nap.

Once we finally got there I ran across the street to go see my best friend, who I haven’t seen since I was three. Okay maybe my mom, dad, and brother came across the street too, but it was a moment of reuniting with my best friend. That day was filled with everyone coming over and saying, “Ale jestez doza” or “ Jak sie zmienilas”. I just wanted to play with my friend. ‘Is that so hard to ask,’ I remember thinking. (I was a sassy eight year old, not that that’s changed.)

The campfire at the end of the day had me laughing all night long. The fire was set up at the end of the field, yard we have. It was right were my back neighbors (grandparents friends) backyard ended. Disco polo was playing and kielbasa was cooking. All night was just a blast.

Two weeks later was the day of the wedding. Everyone the day before was running around like crazy to have it all set up. I remember everyone coming over to the house before the ceremony to see the bride. (The groom was who knows where. Likely his house) I got to be in the wedding with my best friend, Wojtek and this girl from my now wojeks side. Wojtek was holding this portrait of Mary and Jesus to give to the newlyweds, while me and the girl held flowers. (Mine was in a duck shape basket.)

So after sitting through the wedding; I got bored during it0 we finally went to the reception. I remember when we got out of the church everyone was throwing zloty (Polish cents) into the air once the bride and groom were passing. When everyone was in their car and going to the party it looked like a long train. The reception was so much fun. The wedding games they palyed were so funny, ecpecially this one were you get in a big circle and the bride kisses the person to her right on the cheek and the trend continues. Wojtek and I didn’t know what it was about, but joined in anyway. I was laughing so hard when it was Wojteks turn to get a kiss on the cheek because the man next to him picked him in to the air to do so. We continued playing all the games and by the end of the night we popped a bit of the ballons that were hanging from the ceiling. (It was vey tempting)

The next day, was like the after party. Once again we partied some more, but alittle less since everyone was getting over from the day before. Wojtek and I went to the kitchen, where my Babcia and other ladies were making food. We may or may not have taken some of the placki they made. Boy, were they delicious.

I was glad t spend the rest of my summer breakwith my family and friends in Poland. It made me realise how much I miss home in Poland. Leaving them to come back to Connecticut was hard. Everyone the day before was saying how much the were going to miss us or wishing us a safe flight. But I was just wanting summer to never end. It was earliy when we left and the last thing I saw was my best friend with his mom waving bye. Another ten hours later we landed at JFK airport in New York. Once again we went through the waiting for the luggage and the walk through customs. Then onto a bus that droped us off before the ticket agency back in New Britian.

In the end I have just waiting to go back. I really miss “home” and the people there. The story behind this memory really is hoe one thing makes you just want to stay there forever.

Student Example #2

‘I’m so excited for my Quincenera’ said, Lilia. ‘I’m so happy for you I wish nothing but the best on your big day, you are going to be dancing the whole night enjoying your life Lilia you’re finally becoming a women!’ I said. ‘I know Galilea your one of my true friends I love you for always being there for me’ said Lilia. Those were one of the last things she told me before she died.

My first funeral was when I was ten years old which is four years ago. The accident that changed my life happened during the night; in Cuba road at midnight. I was helping with chores when I dropped everything. What happened was two cars were racing at midnight with the car lights off and the road was with a lot of hills and turns ; for that reason one car missed a turn and hit a tree. In that one car that crashed was my family/friend. She died. When investigators got to the scene they first saw the car. The car had a big hole on the main glass, and then they saw the body. The big hole on the main glass was caused by my friend’s body that flew out of the car when it hit the tree. After they saw the car doctors got to the body, her head was chopped off. Investigators said that happened because she flew out of the car ant hit the glass hard enough that made it chop off. After they investigated the scene doctors tried to pick up her body but couldn’t because all her bones were collapsed and couldn’t be picked up.

            I was there, watching, crying. I watched everyone that loved her or once knew her crying and screaming looking at the collapsed body and chopped off head that couldn’t be picked up. As the doctors tried to help the mother, the leaves, smell came over the ones that loved her or once knew her. The smell was like rotten animal; but it wasn't an animal it was MY family/friend almost like a sister laying there dead no movement what so ever she was just there dead. My pain was extraordinary that I myself couldn’t stand on my feet.