Class Description
Welcome to the Reader's Room, where we approach beloved books as works of art, combining the camaraderie of a book club with the rigor of a literature seminar. The Reader's Room welcomes anyone who loves books, whether or not they identify as a writer. Together, we'll discuss each book through the lenses of content, context, and craft. All that's required between sessions is to read.
Reading List: Negroland, Margo Jefferson; The Hollow Half, Sarah Aziza; and The Night of the Gun, David Lee Carr
In this Reader’s Room class, we’ll explore memoirs written by journalists, paying particular attention to how the tools of journalism–reporting, interviewing, research, and observation–come to bear on the craft of personal narrative. Through close readings of key passages, we’ll examine how writers balance documentation and recollection, navigate the ethics of writing about others, and place their private experiences into broader societal contexts.
Along the way, we’ll consider questions central to the memoirist’s craft: How do we tell the truth about experiences we may not fully understand? What happens when the evidence complicates our memories? How can research deepen an intimate story? And what can a journalist’s approach to narrative teach any writer working with personal material? We will come away with a deeper understanding of how writers can navigate the limits of both memories and facts.
Reading Schedule:
February 3rd: Negroland, Margo Jefferson
February 10th: Negroland, Margo Jefferson
February 17th: The Hollow Half, Sarah Aziza
February 24th: The Hollow Half, Sarah Aziza
March 3rd: The Night of the Gun, David Lee Carr
March 10th: The Night of the Gun, David Lee Carr
Writing Roadmap: We've created a simple, goal-based writing roadmap to help you find the perfect GrubStreet course for your writing needs.
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. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.