Class Description
Vladimir Nabokov famously taught his students that reading well means visualizing more than the author has written on the page. When Tolstoy describes a train station, for instance, you should see the porters, the gendarmes, the frosty air (all of which Tolstoy mentions), but perhaps also the varied paces of the travelers hurrying for their trains, the benches along the station wall, a clock overhead ... in short, a full scene. To read and imagine a full scene, rather than a series of details, makes for more nuanced reading—connections and emotions become more available. In this seminar, we'll develop close reading skills, and discuss how to turn close reading to our advantage as writers. How can you write in such a way that will invite your reader to see? We'll start with in-class reading exercises, using an excerpt from Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates and the poem "Gift" by Czeslaw Milosz. Then we'll try to incorporate what we've learned with an in-class writing exercise. This class is suitable for both poets and prose-writers.
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. Please visit the Resources tab to access the video-conference link.
Zoom Participation:
Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!