Narrative Nonfiction Course: From Reporting to Story

Narrative Nonfiction: From Story Idea to Finished Piece
Join award-winning journalist and writer Mariane Pearl for a five-session intensive on the craft of narrative nonfiction at The Studio, a community space from Backstory.

Through close reading, craft discussions, writing exercises, and peer feedback, you'll learn how to turn real-life material into compelling stories. Working as an editorial team, you'll pitch ideas, develop angles, build scenes through interviews and observation, and refine your writing through discussion and revision.

Across five Fridays, we'll explore everything from the nonfiction contract and the art of the profile to structure, pacing, detail, and pitching your work. By the end of the course, each participant will leave with a finished essay, column, or book proposal.

About Mariane Pearl
Mariane Pearl is an award-winning journalist and author of A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Daniel Pearl, a book recounting the investigation into the kidnapping and murder of her husband, journalist Daniel Pearl. The book received international acclaim and was adapted into a feature film starring Angelina Jolie as Mariane. She is also the author of In Search of Hope, a collection of profiles of extraordinary women from around the world, and the founder of Women Bylines, a platform for journalism and multimedia storytelling by women and girls.

Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Sunday Times, and other international publications.
Course details

Dates: Fridays, November 6 – December 4
Time: 9:30–13:30
Duration: 5 sessions
Price: €350
Group size: 5–10 participants

Whether you're developing a personal essay, a profile, or a book idea, this course offers a focused space to experiment, write, edit, and bring your story to life. Come ready to write, share your work, and discover how one specific true story can reveal something much bigger.