CAZENOVIA — This spring, the Cazenovia Public Library (CPL) will host a four-part nonfiction writers’ workshop series with Stony Brook University Professor Emerita Patricia Dunn.
“True Stories, Well Told: A Nonfiction Workshop for Everyday Writers” will be presented on April 28, May 5, May 12, and May 19, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
“Everyone has stories worth sharing,” the program description states. “This workshop helps adults craft compelling nonfiction — whether it’s a vivid memory, a quirky review, or a how-to guide. Through weekly prompts, collaborative feedback, and thoughtful revision, participants will shape real-life experiences into clear, engaging writing. Come with curiosity and leave with confidence.”
The series is designed for writers of all levels interested in developing their skills and talking with other writers in a supportive, constructive atmosphere.
According to Dunn, participants will begin the first session by composing very short pieces. The group will then discuss and practice some “low-risk responses.”
“There are some easily learned, effective ways for readers to comment on drafts in specific, helpful, and tactful ways,” Dunn said. “We may also use some quick writing prompts and do some freewriting to get ideas flowing for future drafts. By the second Monday in the series, people can come in with some short non-fiction they’ve written, and we can use some time in class for the other writers to respond to those drafts in the ways we practiced. It turns out that responding to other people’s writing is also a really good way for responders to improve their own work.”
The group will also explore the various types of nonfiction writing — books, movies, product reviews, how-to pieces, travel narratives, cooking blogs, etc. — in hopes that reading samples of the different genres will spark ideas and inspire the writers to try their hands at drafting something that interests them.
“After the four weeks, I hope participants leave with a couple of drafts of whatever nonfiction genres interest them,” said Dunn. “Or maybe they just want to work on one piece. We’ll also talk about some places they may want to post their work for others to read, such as online blogs, book review sites, and so on. If they continue to write, they’ll now have some strategies for how to provide — or ask for — supportive and constructive responses.”
Dunn, who lives in Erieville, taught in Stony Brook University’s English department from 2003 until her retirement in 2024.
Her areas of teaching and research are composition and rhetoric, English education, and disability studies.
In 2013, she received the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Dunn has published five books: “Drawing Conclusions: Using Visual Thinking to Understand Complex Concepts in the Classroom;” “Disabling Characters: Representations of Disability in Young Adult Literature;” “Grammar Rants: How a Backstage Tour of Writing Complaints Can Help Students Make Informed, Savvy Choices About Their Writing;” “Talking, Sketching, Moving: Multiple Literacies in the Teaching of Writing;” and “Learning Re-Abled: The Learning Disability Controversy and Composition Studies.”
She has also published several book chapters, blogs, and articles and presented at many conferences.
“True Stories, Well Told” is free and open to the public. Class size is limited, so registration is required. Sign up through the CPL website at midyork.libnet.info/event/13379882.
To learn more about this and other CPL events, visit cazenoviapubliclibrary.org or call 315-655-9322.
