Jerry Dennis has been on the faculty of the Bear River Writers' Conference since its inception and has earned his living as a freelance writer for more than 30 years. His dozen books, including Up North in Michigan, The Windward Shore, The Living Great Lakes, and A Place on the Water, have appeared on national bestseller lists, have been translated into seven languages, and are taught in many universities and high schools. His essays, poems, and stories have appeared in River Teeth, Orion, Michigan Quarterly Review, PANK, New World Writing, and more than 100 other publications. Among his awards are the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award, the Michigan Author of the Year Award, and the Great Lakes Culture Award.
ON THE WEB:
Jerry Dennis’s blog and website
“The Great Lakes Author Series”
“Two Writers & The River – A Conversation with Jerry Dennis & Michael Delp” in Nature Change.
“Five Must-Read Michigan Authors”
Workshop
The Possibilities of Nonfiction
Nonfiction is storytelling rooted in facts and true experience, and its possibilities are endless. We’ll explore the many forms of the genre, including essay, article, memoir, and creative nonfiction, and examine how elements usually associated with fiction—characterization, dialogue, pacing, structure, voice—can make nonfiction more effective and compelling. We will combine those ideas with prompts, readings, and round-table conversation to inspire new work.
