Rumination as Route: Crafting Non-linear Personal Narratives

Traditional storytelling often follows a linear path, moving steadily from beginning to end. But what happens when we embrace digression, repetition, and reflection as essential tools of narrative? In this generative, discussion-based class, we will explore how rumination can shape and propel personal narratives, creating compelling essays that mirror the rhythms of thought itself. Through short readings, interactive exercises, and guided writing prompts, participants will experiment with ways to craft essays that spiral, double back, and expand outward—discovering meaning through movement rather than destination.

This class is ideal for writers at all levels interested in exploring experimental forms of nonfiction, deepening their engagement with voice, and crafting essays that follow the mind’s natural wanderings.

About José Angel Araguz, Ph.D.

José Angel Araguz, Ph.D. (he/him/él) is the author most recently of the lyric memoir Ruin & Want (Sundress Publications) as well as the poetry collections Rotura (Black Lawrence Press) and La esperanza espera (Valparaiso Ediciones). His poetry and prose have appeared in Prairie Schooner, Poetry International, The Acentos Review, and Oxidant | Engine among other places. He is an Assistant Professor at Suffolk University where he serves as Editor-in-Chief of Salamander and is also a faculty member of the Solstice Low-Residency MFA Program at Lasell University. He blogs and reviews books at The Influence.