Have you wondered what Rev. Dr. Eric C. Smith has been up to this summer? He has just completed his second year of courses as part of a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction at the Sewanee School of Letters. That degree is part of a sabbatical from the Iliff School of Theology, where Eric is on the full-time faculty.
On Wednesday evenings August 12, 19, 26, and September 2, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM in Room 212 upstairs, join Eric for an introduction to how to read Creative Nonfiction. We will look at eight brief essays—two per week—and analyze their form, content, and style, with an eye to learning how to replicate some of what those authors do, or to learning how to read other essays the same way. We will read work by Annie Dillard, Wendell Berry, Virginia Woolf, and more. These essays are not necessarily religious in content, but the things we notice about them will be applicable to reading and interpreting religious texts like spiritual autobiographies, memoirs about religious experiences, and even sermons!
A packet of readings is available upon request electronically by emailing pastor@firstplymouthchurch.org or on paper from the church office during normal office hours.