Abstract: This paper mainly records the author’s experience and feeling when learning life writing at Columbia University and gives a brief introduction to the curriculum, pedagogy and professors and students. I want to enable life-writing practitioners and readers to achieve a better understanding of American life writing and explore the essence of this genre.

Key words: life writing; the U. S.; Columbia University, MFA non-fiction creative writing

Fu Jiani is a young woman of great curiosity, craving for any interesting life experience. She discovers a suitable path: she received bachelor of commerce in the U.K and is now a graduate student of non-fiction creative writing at Columbia University, the USA, with the research focus on biography. She has published several interviews of important figures and planned several books as former director and editor of China Science Press (Chengdu branch). She independently interviewed and produced two biographies of academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences.