by Sherif Amin, Haley Bates, Michelle Domanowski, Huntington Filson, Makena Gadient, Leah Hatcher, Navarre Herrera, Brooke Jacobovitz, Nick Krulee, Alex Mojica, Kailyn Neidetcher, Annika Nori, Em Russell, Eric Simon, Grey Stowers, Hanna White, and Iris Wood.



STRANGER THAN is the work of a group of young artists from Cornish College of the Arts who met in the fall of 2012 for a year-long course, Truth & Fiction. We read a variety of contemporary short stories, essays, and memoirs that seek to “tell the truth,” and studied the means by which writers take readers into their worlds. We explored the roles of observation and memory in the writing process by engaging in memory and sensory exercises, mind-mapping, and free-writing. And we visited evocative locales and explored their potential to inspire.



Seattle’s International District, Olympic Sculpture Park, Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market, Frye Art Museum, Seattle Public Library, and Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience were among the places we explored in some depth, with an eye to understand how these places worked as well as how they worked on us.



Meanwhile, we read a wide variety of creative nonfiction as well as stories and poems by Sherman Alexie, Jennifer Egan, Adrienne Rich, and David Sedaris. We watched Exit Through the Gift Shop, Chico and Rita, Waste Land, and O.T.: Our Town. We read, discussed, dug into, and argued passionately about This is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz. And when we couldn’t agree on just one memoir for the whole class to read, we split into two groups to explore The Liars’ Club by Mary Karr and Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore. For insights on writing, we looked to Lynda Barry, Peter Elbow, and Anne Lamott. And we shared our observations, analyses, and personal experiences in countless ways.



Over time, this collection of actors, painters, photographers, sculptors, musicians, composers, performance producers, and one lone designer became a community of writers. They shared their work and listened to one another with openness and generosity, and built a sense of trust. As the weeks and months went by, the writing became deeper, sharper, and richer.



For the inquiry project that was the basis for this volume, the group chose to explore mystery in its many forms. Some looked outward, others inward. Some chose an ironic approach, while others chose an earnest one. Along the way, students edited, discussed, and helped to shape one another’s work. They cheered each other on and provided frank criticism in equal measure, all in the service of telling the truth each person wanted to tell.



STRANGER THAN is a book to read from beginning to end, skip around in, study, or simply enjoy. It’s as diverse as the community of artists who created it.