Nonfiction Writers at Terroir 2019

We have two fantastic nonfiction writers speaking at the Terroir Creative Writing Festival this year, bringing a mix of humor and meaning, fun and reflection, history and place. The world outside becomes a jumping off point for personal reflection for these two accomplished writers. Come join us!

Courtenay Hameister
Mining Darkness for Light: Finding Humor Where You Least Expect It

Explore the process through which we can turn our most difficult life experiences into humorous stories, and how that positively affects our audience and our own mental health. COURTENAY HAMEISTER is an author, teacher, screenwriter and performer. You can find her work in McSweeney’s, Portland Monthly, Bustle, and in her monthly column for The Portland Mercury, “Fun With Anxiety.” Her first book, Okay Fine Whatever: The Year I Went from Being Afraid of Everything to Only Being Afraid of Most Things was released in July 2018 from Little, Brown. courtenayhameister.com

Barbara Drake
Creative Nonfiction for Everyone

Creative nonfiction encompasses many kinds of writing—autobiography, nature writing, family history, humor, adventure, and more.  In this workshop we will practice creative nonfiction techniques that can be adapted to many different topics. Participants will leave the workshop with 1-3 short pieces of writing. Handouts with ideas for technique and future writing provided. BARBARA DRAKE is the author of two collections of personal essays Peace at Heart: an Oregon Country Life, and Morning Light, both published by Oregon State University Press. Her newest poetry book is The Road to Lilac Hill: Poems of Time, Place, and Memory, published by Windfall Press (2018). osupress.oregonstate.edu/author/barbara-drake

Have you signed up for Terroir yet? It’s happening April 20 in McMinnville. Register here today!