Travel writers, through their rendition of place in persuasive prose, radically shape how readers picture and engage with the world. Through descriptions of people encountered and landscapes traversed, travel writers create ways to know the new in order to transform places into significant places in the imagination of their armchair readers. As a genre, travel writing is an excellent illustration of the immediate power of prose and lends itself well to the study of the effective use of words in ways that push against cliché and stereotypes.
In this class, we will analyze some signature pieces of this genre as a way to develop comfort in experimenting with our own prose styles, practice supporting each other in taking writing risks, and embrace the drafting process to cultivate multiple and disparate ways of developing an idea. Classwork will consist of discussion of various essays, composition, and peer discussion of student writing. No required books to purchase; all assigned essays will be available on pdf.
Please note that I do note get addcodes until the first day of the quarter.