Nonfiction Workshop: Nonfiction Strategies with Wayétu Moore

The goal of this workshop is to identify strategies for memoir and creative nonfiction narrative writing by reading and discussing works within the genre, exercising elements of creative writing in essay and memoir forms, and learning how to engage with one’s own work through editing. We will explore the changing shape of memories in autobiographical writing, as well as the roles that poetry and voice play in transforming one’s personal experience into a compelling essay. Workshop goals are as followed: 1) To utilize personal experience as a method to understanding the writing process 2) To understand the creative infrastructure of the personal essay 3) To nurture tools that will transform experiential writing into strong narrative pieces.

Wayétu Moore is the author of She Would Be King, released by Graywolf Press in September, 2018. Her memoir, The Dragons, The Giant, The Women was also released with Graywolf on June 2, 2020. She is the recipient of the 2019 Lannan Literary Fellowship for Fiction. She Would Be King was named a best book of 2018 by Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Entertainment Weekly, and BuzzFeed. The novel was a Sarah Jessica Parker Book Club selection, a BEA Buzz Panel Book, a #1 Indie Next Pick, and a finalist for the Hurston/Wright Award. The Dragons, The Giant, The Women was a 2020 New York Times Notable Book, Time Magazine 10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2020, Publishers Weekly Top 5 Nonfiction Books of 2020, was longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie medal for excellence in nonfiction, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Moore is a graduate of Howard University, University of Southern California and Columbia University. She lives in New York.

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Scholarships Available for MDC Students

Miami Book Fair is offering two (2) full-tuition scholarships for MDC students interested in attending a Miami Writers Institute creative writing workshop in any genre. Applicants must be currently-enrolled, (full time or part time) degree-seeking Miami Dade College students with a demonstrated financial need.

To Apply for a Scholarship:
Please send an email to Marci Cancio-Bello, Miami Book Fair programs coordinator at mcanciob@mdc.edu by Monday, May 9 at 11:59 p.m. EST. The message must include your contact information, the title of the workshop you’d like to take, a short statement of financial need, your MDC class schedule, and a writing sample. First-time writers who lack a writing sample should submit a statement explaining their interest in the workshop.