Jan 19, Introductory Session: What Have I Gotten Myself Into?
Topics for Discussion:
What is a writing workshop?
Why should anyone take an autobiography writing workshop?
What makes writing hard?
How will this workshop be run: what topics will we cover, how
will classes be run, what schedule will organize our work, and
what roles will be played by the participants?
How much work will be required, how will it be submitted, and
how will it be evaluated?
How will this workshop be graded?
For next Monday:
Buy Andre Dubus's Meditations from a Moveable Chair at the bookstore. Select and purchase and at least one other collection of autobiographical essays that you find appealing.
Read the first four pieces in Meditations from a Moveable Chair: "About Kathryn," 3; "Legs," 10; "Letter to a Writer's Workshop," 12; and "Digging," 19.
Come to class prepared to make suggestions about how we should run this workshop. Think about whether there are any assignments, activities, topics, procedures, ground rules, or goals you would recommend for consideration.
Topics for Discussion:
What topics do autobiographies cover?
What formats do they use?
What are their distinguishing characteristics?
Why do people write them?
How can I use this to get ideas for my own autobiographical writing?
For Next Monday:
Identify at least three powerful descriptions you located in your "personal" anthology or other resources. Each should be at least one paragraph in length; many may be longer. Alternatively, you can find one short essay that offers a powerful description of a single event, person, place, or thing, or you can choose a longer essay that offers a series of powerful descriptions. And here's one final option: you may want to select a poem that offers powerful descriptions. You can bring your examples to class on disk or in hard-copy form.
Write something. You can draft a preliminary version of an autobiographical essay or narrative, or you can concentrate on developing an opening, a closing, a key description, or an important scene. Bring your draft to class on disk or as a hard copy
Week of Jan. 31: How can I describe things in a way that will bring them to life for other people?
Topics for Discussion:
What do autobiographical writers describe and why?
What are the characteristics of powerful descriptions?
What would you need to do to write a powerful description?
For Next Monday:
Read: the "Forward," to Joseph Zaucha's Behind Joe's Ear; the opening paragraph of Benjamin Frankllin's Autobiography; Russell Baker's speech on "Life with Mother," and Andre Dubus's essay, "Witness."
Also, one member of each group should bring a copy of an essay or passage that models an effective use of "voice," while another member of each group should bring seven copies of their work-in-progress to distribute to the editing teams.
Discussion of Readings:
Forward to Behind Joe's Ear, by Joseph E. Zaucha
Introduction to The Autobiography, by Benjamin Franklin
"Life with Mother," by Russell Baker
Discussion Topics:
What reasons do these writers offer to explain
why they wrote autobiographies?
Are there any clues to indicate what these authors may have gotten
out of the experience of writing their memoirs?
These reflections are addressed to several different kinds of
audiences. Can you tell who the audience is for each piece?
What do you think the intended audience might get
out of reading the work?
What might other kinds of readers get out of the experience of
reading these works?
Who is the audience for your writing?
A Note to the Class from Joseph Zaucha: "Why I Wrote My Autobiography"
In-Class Exercise:
Voice: Can I ever use more than one voice?
How can I make a "non-natural" voice sound authentic?
Description: How can I show instead of tell?
Arrangement: How can I order without "neatening" the
truth?
Experiment: Can less be more?
Discussion of Readings:
Andres Dubus, "Sacraments," and other essays from Meditations from a Moveable Chair assigned in previous weeks.
Dermott Healy, from The Bend for Home, In Brief, p. 46.
Frank McCourt, from Angela's Ashes, In Brief, p. 50.
Guy Lebeda, "Man of Letters," In Brief, p. 230.
Discussion of Draft on Monday:
Come to class prepared to discuss the question of voice in Katie Mancusi's "Being a Believer." Katie has an important purpose in writing this piece and has made a great deal of progress towards drafting descriptions, shaping the narration, and arriving at a conclusion. This is a piece that has a real sense of purpose; it also works hard to convey a complex truth. The very complexity of this piece means that Katie will need to develop a sophisticated mastery of voice and structure in order to maintain control over her narrative--and her reader. Think about this from the reader's point of view so that you can share with Katie your thoughts about who you "hear" in each section of the essay, about what that makes you see and hear, about how that makes you feel, and about what that makes you think. It may work best if we focus on particular sections; why not start by paying special attention to the opening and closing?
On Wednesday:
Visit the Speakeasy Cafe to provide readers' comments in response to the four drafts. After our Speakeasy session, we'll meet for a class discussion on how, as writers, we can use the readers' comments to put together a strategy for the revision.
How much should we think about our audiences
as we write?
Should we think as critics or as authors when reading our drafts?
Can thinking about truth help guide our revisions?
Readings for Discussion:
Peter Elbow's "Closing My Eyes as I Speak."
Donald Murray's "One Writer's Secrets," and "The Feel of Writing--and Teaching Writing."
Andre Dubus's "Letter to a Writer's Workshop," p. 12.
For Wednesday:
Write a brief passage that offers a story about one of your experiences as a writer, or one of your insights into what does or doesn't work when you try to write. This is intended as an "autobiography" assignment rather than as a typical essay assignment that requires you to construct an analysis in a formal academic voice. Have fun with this piece--and don't feel obliged to write more than a paragraph.
After using the first half of Wednesday's session to discuss the readings, we will engage in an experimental collaborative writing session in the second half of the class. Our goal will be to see if we can produce a "writers' collage" modeled on the one Murray shares in "The Feel of Writing--And Teaching Writing."
For next week:
For Monday, come prepared to discuss the readings.
For Wednesday, come prepared to turn in your annotated portfolio and to share comments with the class regarding your progress to date and your plans for your future work in the course.What pieces would you like to write-are there particular subjects you want to be sure to write about? What are your writing goals-are there particular approaches you want to experiment with or particular aspects of writing you want to master in your work?
Topics for Discussion:
How are the openings like or unlike the closings?
What purpose does the opening have?
What purpose does the closing seem to serve?
What seem to be the characteristics of an effective opening? An
effective closing?
Do autobiographies seem to have distinctive types of openings
and closings?
Readings for Discussion:
Alice Walker's Beauty, "When the Other Dancer is the Self"
Steve Heller's "Swan's Way, 1998," In Brief, p. 98.
Rebecca McClanahan, "Considering the Lilies," In Brief, p. 180.
Andre Dubus, "Song of Pity," 146 of Meditations from a Moveable Chair.
On Wednesday:
Writing workshop at the
Speakeasy Cafe.
For the week after spring break:
Be prepared on Monday to discuss the readings.
Reminder: Between the weeks of March 18 and April 10, the members of the workshop will work together in small teams to plan and direct our sessions.Each group will be responsible for choosing an appropriate topic, selecting readings, designing classroom activities, and structuring any assignments. Come to class on Wednesday prepared to turn in a description of the topic, readings, activities, and projects for the week your group will be moderating the workshop.The syllabus and any xeroxed readings for your week should distributed to class members at least a week before your "first day of class.
Readings:
John McPhees "Swimming with Canoes," In Brief, p. 88
Harriet Doerr's "Low Tide at Four," In Brief, p. 24
Andres Dubus, "A Hemingway Story," 45, and "Giving Up the Gun," 174.
Additional readings to be announced.
For Wednesday:
Come to class prepared to work with your group to finalize a proposal
for the week you will direct the workshop. Your proposal should
include a topic, list of readings and discussion questions, and
a description of any activities or assignments. If you intend
to require outside reading material, be sure to submit a copy
of the essays with your proposal.
Readings for Monday:
"Under the Influence," and "The Inheritance of Tools" by Scott Russell Sanders to be distributed the previous Wednesday, March 16. Before class, submit your comments on the readings to the Speakeasy Cafe. What do you like about Sanders writing'--what in his work speaks to you? What do you admire about Sanders' writing--what does he do in his writing that you wish you could do in your own? What are your favorite pieces or passages in Sanders' work, and why? Are there any pieces that trouble you in some way, and why?
Discussion for Wednesday:
Prepare your questions and comments for Scott Russell Sanders, who will be visiting class on Wednesday.
Wednesday Night:
Be sure to attend Sanders' reading. We will be discussing it in class next week.
NOTE: Also use this week to collaborate with your group in constructing a plan for your upcoming week of teaching. Be sure to post a description of you topic on the "Event" form at the Speakeasy; also be sure to set up a "table" that outlines the week's reading and proposes questions that should be discussed at the Speakeasy before Monday's class. You may want to ask your colleagues to talk about a particular passage in the reading, to discuss the use of a particular technique, to identify the strengths of the story, to raise questions, or even to submit passages from other essays that model the week's topic. We will use next Monday's class to review your proposals, so be sure they are posted before class begins.
Monday:
Discussion of Sanders' visit and reading. Review and discussion of teaching proposals.
Discussion of student drafts. Be sure to read and comment on drafts before coming to class. We may try to use this session to experiment with non-chronological structures for stories.
For Next Week:
Prepare to turn in annotated portfolios
If you wish, Group Four may direct the members of the class in working together as an editorial board to produce an Anthology of Autobiographical Writing. In that case, your goals will be to: select powerful examples of autobiographical writing both by members of our workshop and by published writers; to organize the pieces into chapters arranged by topics of your choice; to compose introductions to the chapters and an introduction to the anthology; to select a title; and to produce copies of the completed work. Group Four will be in charge of planning, coordinating, and completing the project.
Readings and Projects to Be Announced