Introduction -- Part 1 : Who made this name up? ; The changemakers ; The first creative nonfictionists ; A statue of a woman in the Pittsburgh airport and all she represents ; What white publishers won't print ; F*** the establishment ; The imperfect primer -- Part 2 : The shoe dog goes to college ; A mentor, a mountain man, and the beginning of the writing life ; Innocent victims ; Manipulating material--and the people you are writing about ; A larger reality? Or the untrue truth? ; Dissing the memoir -- Part 3 : After all, gentlemen, we are interested in literature here--not writing ; Bricks, underwear, and fake vomit--and a Guinness world record ; Wrters invading the academy ; Drama and trauma ; Mud and coconuts -- Part 4 : How creative nonfiction became creative nonfiction ; The first issue: a dining room disaster ; Do poets write prose? ; The first creative nonfiction conference--and George Plimpton's revenge ; The business of art? Or the art of doing business ; The last creative nonfiction "fist-fight" -- Epilogue.
Summary:
"In the 1970s, Lee Gutkind, a leather-clad hippie motorcyclist and former public relations writer, fought his way into the academy. Then he took on his colleagues. His goal: to make creative nonfiction an accepted academic discipline, one as vital as poetry, drama, and fiction. In this book Gutkind tells the true story of how creative nonfiction became a leading genre for both readers and writers" --Front jacket flap.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.