True Lit: Narrative Nonfiction, Facts into Story with Linda Leavell
True Lit Festival 2016 Narrative Nonfiction, Facts into Story with Linda Leavell happens on October 19 from 3:00pm- 5:00pm in the Fayetteville Public Library Ann Henry Board Room.
How do authors of narrative nonfiction, such as Erik Larson and Laura Hillenbrand, stay true to the facts and still write a story that “reads like a novel”? Participants in this workshop will examine some examples and then try their hand at turning facts from a personal letter into a scene. For this session, you will need writing materials and to bring a letter (a photocopy is fine) from a family member or from a famous or historical person. Something should happen in the letter in a definite place and time. If you have photographs to accompany the letter, so much the better. The workshop is free; registration required
Linda Leavell (pronounced level) received her early education in Nashville, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; and Waco, Texas. For two years she attended Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. She earned a BA in English and philosophy from Baylor University and a doctorate in English from Rice University. She began her academic career at Rhodes College and then taught American literature at Oklahoma State University for twenty-four years.
In parallel with her academic career, Leavell worked for fourteen years researching and writing Holding On Upside Down: The Life and Work of Marianne Moore (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013). She received support for the project from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Oklahoma Humanities Council, the American Philosophical Society, and the Center for Humanities at Oregon State University.
Leavell retired from her academic career in 2010 and moved with her husband to Fayetteville, Arkansas, where she writes full time and volunteers as an art museum guide. Her current project, under contract with FSG, is a group biography of the Stieglitz circle.
Registration happens Monday, October 3, 2016 – 9:00am to Sunday, October 16, 2016 – 5:00pm at http://fplwebapps.faylib.org/events/event_registration/register.asp?event_id=423 or by calling 479.856.7250.
Nancy Hartney
Nancy Hartney writes fiction, short stories, poetry, and non-fiction articles. Her full bio can be found at NancyHartney.com.