Multigenre FAQs

What is a multigenre research paper? Well, it's part-research, part-creative writing. Unlike a traditional research paper, this paper can contain many voices. You use different genres (e.g. poem, journal entry, dialogue) to inform your reader about your topic.

I don't get it. Each piece should be able to stand on its own, yet everything will come together to paint a larger picture. Like beads on a necklace.

Huh? Remember. Some things are easier to inspire than assign.

What genres can I use? Anything you want.
Click here for genre ideas.
Click here for more.

How many genres?
Six (6).

Why are you doing this instead of a regular research paper? The multigenre format allows you to show your reader your subject instead of just telling them about it.

• Telling: "Barack Obama is the 44th president and the first African American to hold the office."
• Showing: Write a journal entry (as Obama) imagining what was going through his mind the night before his inauguration.

I'm still confused. Here are some examples of what it could look like.

• Wanted: Multigenre Teacher- A multigenre paper I wrote about multigenre papers. #inception
• Katy vs. Mom vs. Art- A multigenre paper a former student wrote.
• Speak- A multigenre paper about the book we read. It wasn't done for my class but it has many of the same elements.

What else should I do?
Start finding other voices that could go in your paper. Whose voices could be in your paper?

• If you're writing about Justin Bieber: Justin Bieber, Usher, a crazy fan, Selena Gomez, Twitter and YouTube comments, Ryan Good (his swagger coach), Scooter Braun (discovered him on YouTube), his mom, his dad, etc.
• If you're writing about Muhammad Ali: Muhammad Ali, the cop who told got him into boxing, other boxers (Frazier, Liston, Foreman), his daughter, American citizens during the Vietnam War, Malcom X, etc.
• If you're writing about Kyle Nelson: Kyle Nelson, his wife, his dad, his students, his high school teacher, God, his former boss, his mom, etc.