CNF - Lesson 5 - Emerging Forms of Creative Nonfiction: Tesmonio, Blog, Facebook Status Report

Summary

The lesson introduces three emerging forms of creative nonfiction: testimonio, blogs, and Facebook status reports. The teacher’s learning goal is for students to write a well-developed, five-paragraph blog on a topic of their choice.

Testimonio

A testimonio is a form of trauma literature that records firsthand experiences of oppression, abuse, persecution, or other human-rights violations. It may be an oral or written account, told by a witness or dictated to someone who transcribes it.

The lesson connects testimonio to Latin America and to accounts documenting injustices against Indigenous people and other oppressed groups, including poor people, women, and gay people. Such accounts can draw attention to abuses committed by people or institutions in positions of power.

Blogs

A blog, short for weblog, is an online journal or informational site that typically displays posts in reverse chronological order. It can function as a public online diary, with the author adding text, links, photos, or videos.

A typical blog layout may include:

• A header and navigation menu
• A main area featuring posts
• A sidebar
• A footer
• Archives and comments

The lesson contrasts blogs, which may express personal opinions, with websites that may present more factual or evidence-supported information. It also notes that blogs can inform readers and that bloggers may earn money through advertising. John Barger is credited with coining the term weblog in 1997.

Facebook Status Reports

A Facebook status report can serve as a brief nonfiction piece in which someone shares personal experiences, feelings, or updates.

The lesson describes Facebook as having begun as a directory for Harvard students, developed by Mark Zuckerberg and his classmates. It later expanded to other institutions and eventually to users worldwide.

As an example, the teacher reads a status about an author finishing a book and sending it to a publisher. The post describes the next stages of publication and the writer’s emotions, including relief, uncertainty, hard work, satisfaction, gratitude, and fatigue. Students are reminded to think carefully about what they share online.

Assignment

Write a well-written, five-paragraph blog about a topic of your choice.

Speakers and Sources Mentioned

• Teacher Anna, also referred to as “Teacher Ana Shay” in the subtitles, is the lesson’s speaker.
• Frederick Jameson is cited in connection with the phrase “cultural logic of late capitalism.”
• John Barger is credited with coining the term weblog.
• Mark Zuckerberg and his Harvard classmates are mentioned in the account of Facebook’s origins.
• An Indigenous Guatemalan woman’s first-person account is used as an example of testimonio; the title or name is unclear in the subtitles.
• An unidentified author’s Facebook status is read as an example.