Sometimes we know ourselves too well. We become so familiar with our own lives that our stories of them seem stale and ordinary; we take for granted the memorable things we have seen and done; we forget that to a reader who doesn’t know us we have lived fascinating lives worthy of examination. This course is about rediscovering—and reimagining—the stories we have to tell. Through a series of writing prompts designed to stoke our memories and remind us of who we are and get us talking, students will gain practice with the basics of storytelling while also getting reacquainted with why storytelling matters. Each class will involve a mini-lesson about a craft element of nonfiction related to the week’s prompt, the sharing of our own writing, and discussion (which will involve telling stories as a way of generating ideas, talking about next steps for editing/revising what we have written, and any questions of interest that arise from our work together.) The goal of the course is to open our minds to the stories that are ours to tell. 

Steve Edwards is the author of the memoir Breaking into the Backcountry, the story of the seven months he spent as the caretaker of a remote Oregon homestead. He is also the recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship in Fiction/Nonfiction, and the author of essays that have appeared in The Sun, Orion, Literary Hub, and Longreads. His latest work, an essay about the intersection of writing, mental health, and neurodiversity, was published in The Yale Review. He will be the 2025 writer-in-residence at the historic Concord Free Public Library. A professor of English studies at Fitchburg State University and a visiting lecturer at Tufts University, he lives in Massachusetts with his wife and son.

Back Country photo credit:  Ethan Olarte