CREATIVE NONFICTION & TRUE STORY
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New issues out now!
In Creative Nonfiction #71: "Let's Talk about Sex," writers invite us to share some of their most intimate moments—first times, last times, and everything in between. By turns joyous, hopeful, playful, wistful, and even sometimes uncomfortable, the stories in this issue expand our understanding of how—and why—people (and houseflies and sea urchins) “do it.” Plus: five tips for great sex (writing); the eroticism of essaying; the art of the long sentence; tiny truths; and more.
+ In True Story #29, "Stumbling Into Joy" by Kate Hopper: Taking stock after a midlife medical crisis inspires a woman to fulfill her lifelong dream of learning to play the electric bass. Her quest to understand the instrument’s appeal leads her to the pioneering women of Fanny, and to some realizations about herself.
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Want more true stories, well told?
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Current calls for submissions
- True Story (narrative nonfiction between 5,000 and 10,000 words)
Accepted year-round
- Pitch a Craft Column (for an upcoming issue of CNF magazine)
Accepted year-round
Other opportunities for writers
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WRITE NOW @ CNF
Connect & learn
CNF’s events, webinars, and writing workshops can help you get motivated, find a writing community, and more. Here’s what’s coming up:
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Crafting the Braided & Collage Essays
Enrollment is open until Aug 19
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Step by step w/ Jane Friedman
Aug 22 | 1 - 2:30 pm EDT
ONLINE CLASSES
Join CNF’s growing online writing community
Since 2011, our online classes have helped thousands of writers tell their stories better. Our 5- and 10-week classes offer firm deadlines, a flexible schedule that fits your needs, and feedback to help you keep writing and improving your work.
This fall, we’re offering 13 different classes, all designed to help you achieve your writing goals. Here’s how we can help you:
Fundamentals—open to all levels.
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Write every day, no matter what.
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Learn the basics of the genre.
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Add some spice to your story.
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True, "memoir" starts with "me" ... but there's room for so much more.
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Break down the task of writing a memoir into manageable daily writing assignments.
Intermediate courses.
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Distill experiences, big or small, into their purest essence.
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Inform & entertain your reader.
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Develop a compelling proposal to sell your book.
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Gain the tools to critically & creatively approach unwieldy & challenging stories of illness.
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Turn your stories and experiences into captivating essays with facts, characters & detail.
Advanced courses.
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Move beyond the basics of memoir & tackle the challenges of longer sections & full-length manuscripts.
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Transform your work & turn your personal anecdotes into publishable essays.
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Take a deep dive into the unique challenges of writing excellent science essays.
Classes start
Monday, September 9
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TINY TRUTHS
Winners from CNF’s ongoing micro-essay contest
Our daily Twitter contest is a great way to get your work into Creative Nonfiction. To join, follow us @cnfonline and tag your submissions #cnftweet.
Here are a few of our recent favorites:
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@MizCorbie: I often suspected mom only cared about appearances. Now that she’s blind, she sits silent, does nothing. Naked in the sauna, I never felt self-conscious because I couldn’t wear my glasses. Seeing only blurred figures tricked my mind into thinking I was a blur, too.
5:17 PM · Jul 12, 2019
@ZippyZey: The silver-haired ladies arrive for pool aerobics, in modest one-piecers and sensible sunshades. As funky music blares, they bobble and bounce, swing foam weights. Buoyed by water - and another day dancing through life among friends.
10:46 AM · Jul 18, 2019
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@WilliamReagan: "Cancer takes your life well before it kills you," my brother says about losing his ability to drive, then bike, then walk the dog, then walk at all. I want to offer some bright-side bromide, but none come to mind.
5:44 AM · Jul 25, 2019
@agattopetersen: At 10,000 feet the creeks of eastern Colorado look like disobedient strands in the quilt of human development. The threads meander back and forth untamed by the sharp angles and straight lines. From the plane, I cheer on the rebellion.
12:21 PM · Jul 25, 2019
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DISTRACTIONS
What we’re reading
+ Lit Hub: On the Fine (and Difficult) Art of Science Writing
+ LARB: We Need to Talk About the Aches & Pains of Nonfiction
+ NY Times: The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years
+ "The In-Between Girl" by Vandana Khanna
+ "The Five Glorious Mysteries" by Genevieve Cotter
+ "My One, My Only" by Michaella A. Thornton
+ "The Gift" by Elizabeth Wade
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