Polly Barton, Non-Fiction: Conversation as Inspiration, Conversation as Material

O'Donoghue Centre, University of Galway

O'Donoghue Centre, University of Galway, Ireland

Conversation is a hugely valuable – and often overlooked – tool in the non-fiction writer's kit. Often viewed as the preserve of fiction, conversation can form a mainstay of the practice of producing essays, memoirs and creative non-fiction books. Facilitated by Polly Barton, a strong believer in the importance of dialogue for inspiring, informing and shaping all kinds of non-fiction, this workshop will encourage participants to consider dialogue as the starting point and lodestar for works of non-fiction, engaging in various creative exercises designed to open up new ways of looking at real-life conversations. Suitable for writers of all kinds, from those with an oral history project on the go to those who have never considered that dialogue could have its place in non-fiction.