Literary Journalism

For Introduction to Creative Nonfiction, I have to do a literary journalism piece. Basically, literary journalism asks the writer to immerse him or herself in an unfamiliar situation, culture, or person, and go from there. Today, 1:45 to be exact, I have a conference with my professor, Dr. Retief, to go over my ideas. Brainstorming has spawned a lot of hilarity (speed dating was considered seriously for a millisecond), but these are the ideas that I’ll probably be presenting:

My first option would be exploring Unitarianism. Faith is very important to me, and I want to explore that in my writing. It would be interesting for me to really examine a religious perspective that is different from my own. I think this could be especially informative because, though I have basic background knowledge, I admittedly lack full understanding. One of my best friends from home is a Unitarian, and I should be able to go to church with her over Spring Break.

Another option might be to familiarize myself with Quakers. A friend from home is a Quaker, and I can ask if I can attend a Meeting with her over break. I also know SU has a Quaker group on campus. I believe they worship on Sundays at 11:00 so, in that aspect, this option would be pretty easy to work into my schedule.

A very different route, but probably even more unfamiliar to me, would be doing something with animals. I’ve considered events like a dog show or a pet expo. My family has always done terribly with pets, and individually I’ve always done terribly with animals, specifically dogs. Something I just found that might fit this would be attending PawsAbilities 2011 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, which includes events like a Cutest Dog Contest and Dog Olympics.

Any way I choose to take this project, and I’m sure Dr. Retief will provide some guidance regarding that decision, there will be a certain amount of risk-taking involved. I have to interview people for my Assistantship at Susquehanna Currents, and I’ve interviewed in the past, so I should have those skills. It’s the immersing part, though, that can be a bit frightening for someone who can be quite reserved at first.

I’ll admit to a certain amount of anxiety. But hopefully a good piece, or the framework for one, will come out of whatever experience I have.