Creative nonfiction, also known as literary journalism and narrative journalism, is a type of writing which uses literary skills in the writing of nonfiction. A work of creative nonfiction, if well written, contains accurate and well-researched information and also holds the interest of the reader. Creative nonfiction is contrasted with "research nonfiction" which may contain accurate information, but may not be particularly well written and may not hold the attention of the reader very well. Literature is literally an acquaintance with letters as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary (from the Latin littera meaning an individual written character (letter)). The term has, however, generally come to identify a collection of texts. ... A skill is an ability, usually learned and acquired through training, to perform actions which achieve a desired outcome. ... Illustration of a scribe writing Writing, in its most common sense, is the preservation and the preserved text on a medium, with the use of signs or symbols. ... Non-fiction is a truthful account or representation of a subject which is composed of facts. ... Research is a human activity based on intellectual investigation and aimed at discovering, interpreting, and revising human knowledge on different aspects of the world. ...

Narrative nonfiction is a type of creative nonfiction which tells a story, for example, Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden. Black Hawk Down began as a series of newspaper and Internet articles. Its availability as an Internet series gave the author the benefit of extensive feedback from viewers. Bob Woodward of the Washington Post is also noted for his skills at narrative nonfiction, in books like All the President's Men and Bush at War. For the 2001 film, see Storytelling (film) Storytelling is the ancient art of conveying events in words, images, and sounds. ... Black Hawk Down is a 2001 film by Ridley Scott, based on the book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War by Mark Bowden. ... Mark Robert Bowden (II) (born July 17, 1951) is an accomplished American writer. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Feedback loop. ... Bob Woodward Robert Upshur Bob Woodward (born March 26, 1943) is assistant managing editor of The Washington Post. ... ... Cover of 2005 printing All the Presidents Men is a 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the two journalists investigating the Watergate first break-in and ensuing Watergate scandal for the Washington Post. ... Cover of Bush at War (trade paperback) Bush at War is a 2002 book by Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward recounting President George W. Bushs responses to the September 11 terrorist attacks and his administrations handling of the subsequent war in Afghanistan. ...

There has been a recent movement among younger writers in the craft to adopt a more liberal meaning of the term "creative nonfiction". Some writers consider certain forms, most notably poetry, to be an acceptable form of creative nonfiction in certain cases. For example, works by L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poets - such as Lyn Hejinian's My Life, based in the structures of memoir while formally being linkages of separate poems - may be considered by some as creative nonfiction, or the total opposite by others. While these debates may not be resolved anytime soon, they do indicate that creative nonfiction is a growing and developing genre. The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... The Language or L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poets were the most significant avant garde grouping in United States poetry in the last quarter of the 20th century. ... Lyn Hejinian (born 1941) is a United States poet, essayist, translator and publisher. ... My Life has been frequently used as a title for autobiographies, including those of: Bill Clinton Leon Trotsky John Starks It has also been used for: a 1993 film an album by Mary J. Blige an album by Iris DeMent a song by John Lennon a song by Billy Joel...

Noted practitioners of creative nonfiction

Noted practitioners of creative nonfiction include

• Norman Mailer: The Executioner's Song is considered one of the finest examples of the genre and also Mailer's best work, which won him his second Pulitzer Prize.
• Jack Kerouac: Kerouac used his actual life experiences, along with personal confessions, to create his Beat Generation classic On the Road.
• Truman Capote: In Cold Blood, Capote's reporting on the murder of a family in Kansas, was hailed as an invention of a new genre--creative nonfiction or nonfiction novel.
• Eduardo Galeano: Memory of Fire, Days and Nights of Love and War
• Bill Bryson: writer of humorous travelogues
• Philip K. Dick: VALIS Dick is noted mainly as a Science Fiction author but VALIS, chronicling a psychic or - possibly - psychotic episode is also an Autobiographical novel.
• Annie Dillard:
• Frank McCourt: Angela's Ashes blends autobiography with factual descriptions of the bleak life of working class Irish in Brooklyn, NY, and Limerick, Ireland, during the Depression.
• Davis Miller: The Tao of Muhammad Ali is the best known of a series of meditative and autobiographical works drawing heavily on fictional techniques.
• Joyce Carol Oates: On Boxing, which includes a portrait of Mike Tyson.
• P. J. O'Rourke: Holidays in Hell
• Robert Pirsig: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Autobiographical novel exploring issues of philosophy.
• George Plimpton: Paper Lion
• Chuck Palahniuk: Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories
• David Sedaris:
• Sebastian Junger: The Perfect Storm details the fate of the swordfishing boat the Andrea Gail & its crew when they are swept into a storm of gigantic proportions.
• John McPhee: An author whose works reflect his eclectic interests including geology, transportation, various prominent figures like Bill Bradley and David Brower, and more.
• Tom Wolfe: Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test , The Right Stuff
• Richard Rodriguez: a writer often specializing in issues of sensitivity - race, ethnicity, and sexuality.

Gay Talese

• Joan Didion: The Year of Magical Thinking
• Gay Talese: "Frank Sinatra Has A Cold", one of the finest examples of journalistic nonfiction.
• Susan Orlean: The Orchid Thief
• David Eggers: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
• Chuck Klosterman: Fargo Rock City, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto and Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story
• Hunter S. Thompson: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail, Hell's Angels
• Dinty W. Moore: editor of Brevity [1] and author of "The Accidental Buddhist."
• Derrick Jensen: Endgame, A Language Older Than Words

Norman Mailer, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1948 Norman Kingsley Mailer (born January 31, 1923) is an American novelist, journalist, playwright, screenwriter and film director. ... The Executioners Song book cover The Executioners Song is a 1979 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Norman Mailer that depicts the events surrounding the execution of Gary Gilmore by the state of Utah for murder. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... “Beats” redirects here. ... :This article is about the novel On the Road. ... Truman Capote (pronounced ) (30 September 1924 – 25 August 1984) was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories, novels and plays are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffanys (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a non-fiction novel. ... In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences, by American author Truman Capote, details the 1959 murders of Herbert Clutter, a wealthy farmer from Holcomb, Kansas; his wife, Bonnie; their 16-year-old daughter, Nancy; and their 15-year-old son, Kenyon, and the aftermath. ... The nonfiction novel is a literary genre, formally established in 1965 with Truman Capotes publication of In Cold Blood. ... Eduardo Galeano. ... William Bill McGuire Bryson, OBE, (born December 8, 1951) is a best-selling American-born author of humorous books on travel, as well as books on the English language and on scientific subjects. ... Travel literature is literature which records the people, events, sights and feelings of an author who is touring a foreign place for the pleasure of travel. ... Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928 – March 2, 1982) was an American writer, mostly known for his works of science fiction; additional to forty-four books currently in print, Dick wrote several short stories and minor works published in pulp magazines. ... It has been suggested that Black Iron Prison be merged into this article or section. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Psychic, from the Greek psychikos meaning mental, of the soul (in turn derived from psyche meaning soul, mind), is a term used to describe phenomena or abilities that are said to originate from the brain but which transcend its confines. ... Psychosis is a psychiatric classification for a mental state in which the perception of reality is distorted. ... This Side Of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a famous example of an autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel is a novel based on the life of the author. ... Annie Dillard (born 30 April 1945 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American author. ... Frank McCourt Colum McCann, unknown, Christopher Cahill and Frank McCourt Francis Frank McCourt (born August 19, 1930) is an Irish-American teacher and author. ... Cover of Angelas Ashes Angelas Ashes is a memoir by American author Frank McCourt, and tells the story of his childhood. ... Davis Miller is an American author notable for a series of works combining autobiography, a fascination with the life and careers of Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee, and an innovative approach to writing. ... The Tao of Muhammad Ali is a book by the American author Davis Miller, published in 1996. ... Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American author and the Roger S. Berlind 52 Professor in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing at Princeton University, where she has taught since 1978 ([1]). She serves as associate editor for the Ontario Review, a literary magazine, and... Michael Chaim Tyson, (born June 30, 1966) is a former American World Heavyweight boxing Champion. ... P.J. ORourke speaks at a January 2007 event at the Cato Institute about his latest book. ... Robert Maynard Pirsig (born September 6, 1928) is a popular American novelist. ... Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values is the first of Robert M. Pirsigs texts in which he explores a Metaphysics of quality. ... George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. ... Paper Lion is a famous non-fiction book by prominent American writer George Plimpton. ... Charles Michael Chuck Palahniuk (IPA: )[1] (born February 21, 1962) is an American satirical novelist and freelance journalist born in Pasco, Washington. ... Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories (published in the United Kingdom under the title Nonfiction) is a non-fiction book by Chuck Palahniuk, published in 2004. ... Sedaris in 2005. ... Sebastian Junger (born 17 January 1962 in Belmont, Massachusetts) is an American author and journalist. ... The Perfect Storm (ISBN 0-393-04016-X) is a non-fiction book written by Sebastian Junger and published by Little, Brown and Company in 1997. ... John McPhee is widely recognized for his writing on geology. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... David Ross Brower (July 1, 1912 – November 5, 2000) was the founder of many environmentalist organizations including the Sierra Club Foundation, the John Muir Institute for Environmental Studies, Friends of the Earth (1969), the League of Conservation Voters, Earth Island Institute (1982), North Cascades Conservation Council, and Fate of... Thomas Kennerly Wolfe (born March 2, 1931 in Richmond, Virginia), known as Tom Wolfe, is a best-selling American author and journalist. ... The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is a literary journalism novel written by Tom Wolfe early in his career. ... The Right Stuff is a 1979 book (ISBN 0374250332) by Tom Wolfe, and a 1983 film adapted from the book. ... Richard Rodriguez (born 31 July 1944) is a Mexican-American writer who became famous for his 1982 book, Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez (ISBN 0-553-27293-4), a narrative about his development as a literate, American student. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 646 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The author of this image is me, David Shankbone. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2048 × 1536 pixel, file size: 646 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The author of this image is me, David Shankbone. ... Gay Talese Gay Talese (born February 7, 1932) is an American author. ... Photo of Joan Didion by Robert Birnbaum Joan Didion (born December 5, 1934) is an American writer, known as a journalist, essayist, and novelist. ... The Year of Magical Thinking (2005), by Joan Didion (b. ... Gay Talese Gay Talese (born February 7, 1932) is an American author. ... Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was a jazz oriented popular singer and Academy Award-winning actor. ... Susan Orlean is an American journalist whose feature writing drolly but affectionately considers softer subjects than some of those covered by her colleagues. ... The Orchid Thief is a non-fiction work of literature by American journalist and author Susan Orlean, based on her investigation of the 1994 arrest of John Laroche and a group of Seminoles in south Florida for poaching rare orchids in the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve. ... Dave Eggers (born in 1970) is an American writer. ... A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (or AHWoSG) is a memoir by Dave Eggers released in 2000. ... Charles John Chuck Klosterman (born June 5, 1972, in Wilkin County, Minnesota) is an American pop-culture journalist, critic, humorist, and essayist. ... Fargo Rock City is a book by Chuck Klosterman. ... Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author. ... The hard cover version of the book. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... In chess, the endgame (or end game or ending) refers to the stage of the game when there are few pieces left on the board. ...

Ethics and creative nonfiction

In recent years, there have been a rash of incidents within the United States that have tarnished the reputation of creative nonfiction in terms of its (perceived) loose rein on journalistic ethics and standards, or its glorification of interpretation. The most recent example of these incidents is the James Frey controversy in regards to his memoir A Million Little Pieces. In his memoir, Frey claimed to certain experiences, which later were revealed to be fabrications. Journalism ethics and standards, include principles of ethics and of good practice to address the specific challenges faced by professional journalists. ... James Christopher Frey (born September 12, 1969 in Cleveland, Ohio USA) is an American writer. ... A Million Little Pieces is a fictionalized memoir by James Frey. ...

The genre of creative nonfiction has often come under attack from pundits who believe that the genre is laden with the types of falsifications that were revealed in Frey's work. Often, however, this is not the case, as creative nonfiction writers often work for institutions with high journalistic integrity before, during, or after their work in the genre. It is not uncommon for many prominent creative nonfiction works to even be published directly, or be adaptations of one's own work for industriously ethical publications like The New Yorker (for example, Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, or Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief). However, the issue of ethics is an important one that creative nonfiction must continue to address as it grows. The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ... In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences, by American author Truman Capote, details the 1959 murders of Herbert Clutter, a wealthy farmer from Holcomb, Kansas; his wife, Bonnie; their 16-year-old daughter, Nancy; and their 15-year-old son, Kenyon, and the aftermath. ...

External links

• Creative Nonfiction, a journal devoted exclusively to the genre
• Fourth Genre, a journal devoted to explorations in nonfiction
• Sightline Books, the Iowa Series in Literary Nonfiction
• What is creative non-fiction? Phil Druker, University of Idaho
• Lettre Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage
• Sixbillion.org, an online magazine of narrative journalism
• Bruce Dobler's Creative Nonfiction Compendium, Bruce Dobler, University of Pittsburgh
• Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, Canada
• Brevity Magazine

The University of Idaho is the states most prominent land-grant and primary research university, located in the city of Moscow in Latah County. ... The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related, doctoral/research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. ...

Audio/video links

• Audio CSPAN - Interview with Lee Gutkind gives a definition of the genre
• Audio CSPAN - Interview with Lee Gutkind gives examples of authors who write in the genre