Back by popular demand: my advanced workshop in Creative Non-fiction at University of Toronto. What the heck is CNF, anyway? We hear the term applied to all kinds of writing. How does Creative Non-fiction differ from journalism? From academic writing? From short stories and novels? Is it okay to mix and match? Why does Our Hero prefer the term “Narrative Non-fiction?”

I came to CNF in the late 1990s when, while writing a book called Fatal Passage, I began bringing together everything I had learned from publishing three novels and thousands of journalistic articles. Short answer to FAQs: Yes, autobiography and memoir belong to the genre, and so does the research-based narrative.

My workshops are you-focused, you-driven. Tell me a true story. I lead discussions and in-class “workouts.” In responding to works-in-progress, I am craft-oriented (I have spent crazy amounts of time thinking about craft). This advanced session runs eight weeks, Tuesday nights from 6:30 to 9, starting Feb. 2, 2010. Registration is open (http://learn.utoronto.ca/site3.aspx). Administrative questions, contact bill.zaget@utoronto.ca. Content queries, drop me an email.