Category Archives: Uncategorized

“You Can’t Make This Stuff Up,” at least that’s what Lee Gutkind claims in the book of same title (2012). But is it true? According to Gutkind in creative nonfiction writing it is assumed that the facts are true — real, it’s simply the style of writing that is creative. Anything less than absolute truthContinue reading “9.2 Teaching Truth and/or Fiction- by Gina Snooks”

On Friday, December 11, 2020, I had the privilege of moderating a roundtable discussion entitled Teaching Challenges. It’s a title that not only nods to the challenges we face while teaching, but perhaps, also to the challenges we present to our students. It was the last roundtable of the superb Teaching Life Writing Conference, whichContinue reading “Teaching Challenges- by Leila Pazargadi”

This rich panel offered both pedagogical theory and practical applications. To start the panel, Craig Howes retraced the emergence of scholarship on teaching life writing in the late 1990s and its evolution since. He took the opportunity to look back on Teaching Life Writing Texts (MLA 2007). As the title suggests, the focus has beenContinue reading “11.2 Remediating Lives: Editing and Publishing- by Katherine Roseau”

What a thought-provoking and terrific panel this was. Many thanks to Mary Mahoney, Melissa Jacques, and Theresa Tinkle for their papers and for a far-ranging discussion in the Q&A, with a provocative question from Melissa about how we manage affect in the classroom, and for what we wish when we do so.   To getContinue reading “Trauma and Medical Discourse- by Tanis MacDonald”

Compelling roundtable discussion on the important question of the ethics of life writing. Sonja Boon talked of teaching life-writing texts that haven’t deserved enough attention so far, for instance by linguists. Her students were resistant to reading them at first, since the letters seemingly perpetuated stereotypes around people from Newfoundland and Labrador. Importantly, she asked, howContinue reading “RT3 Ethics and politics of writing lives- by Ana Belén Martínez García”

Amy Rubens is an Associate Professor of English, and the Interim Associate Dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research at Radford University. Moderated by Jillian Abbott, this roundtable on the role of lifewriting in contexts other than the undergraduate literary classroom brought together four dynamic perspectives spanning not only international borders but alsoContinue reading “Blog Post about “Lifewriting Beyond the Undergraduate Literary Classroom” Roundtable 1- by Amy Rubens”

The session on Covid pedagogy featured three speakers (from Australia, Canada, and the US) who talked about how they modified their teaching during the Pandemic. All three emphasized the need for more care of students during the past months. Kate Douglas in “Life Writing and Student Engagement after Covid-19” talked about how she changed herContinue reading “6.1 Covid Pedagogy – by Eleanor Ty”

“The magnitude of loss.”  “When students bring their trauma to writing class how then do we teach?  When students bring their teaching to trauma class, how does the instructor write?”  “Compassion.  Connection.  Self-inquiry.”  These keywords and questions—proffered by Sandra Pinasco, Tanis MacDonald, and Louise Harrington, respectively—offer glimpses of the rich, complex, and deeply humane linesContinue reading “4.1 Teaching (through) Trauma and Grief- by Janine Utell”

A deeply provocative conversation on the critical and literary interview by practitioners and critics of the form — Sarah Fay, Rebecca Roach, H. Aram Veeser, and Jeffrey Williams — moderated by Sonja Boon. The presentations explored teaching interviews from The Paris Review within a creative writing and professionalization pedagogical context (Fay); teaching and affirming interviews as aContinue reading “RT2 Teaching Interview as Form and Method by CJ Bogle”

Since I was the moderator I may be biased, but this was an inspiring session. All three presenters (Heidi Bollinger, Sam Meekings, and Clark Pomerleau) told us about their thoughtful, carefully developed assignments for students to produce forms of life writing in their courses. Heidi has a graphic memoir + artist’s statement assignment, Sam hasContinue reading “2.1 Students Documenting Histories- by Candida Rifkind”

Brilliant session about teaching life writing outside traditional creative writing classes. All the speakers, Heidi Bollinger, Sam Meekins and Clark Pomerleau, shared examples of how they had engaged their students in the process of life writing. I know that we are not meant to have favourite presenters (much like we are not meant to haveContinue reading “2.1 Students Documenting Histories- by Bridget Blankley”

Hi everyone—I love the sessions so far. Here’s a roundup of some issues I heard about in sessions 1.1 and 2.1: Student assessment: ways the we can involve students in their own assessment of creative-critical projects The politics of disclosure and trauma—when students write about their lives, what kind of work can we do toContinue reading “Exciting Questions so Far- by Julie Rak”

The Teaching Life Writing conference is coming up soon, December 10 and 11! Here’s the conference schedule so that you can see what kinds of topics to expect. Don’t miss our keynotes. Here’s what they will be talking about: Maarit Leskelä-Kärki, Teaching Life-Writing in History: Diaries and Letters as Historical Texts Joycelyn Moody, Teaching BlackContinue reading “Welcome To The Teaching Life Writing Conference- by Dr. Julie Rak”