As a final little flourish before we all pack things up for the year, I’m offering a free short seminar-style class immediately after the final session of Reading for Writing on December 3rd – an Introduction to Close Reading, focusing exclusively on Don Paterson’s poem Imperial.
I talk a bit about the practice of close reading on my Commentaries page, and it is the fundamental underpinning of all my Reading for Writing classes. I used to spend quite a bit of time at the beginning of each new workshop series in going through the whys and wherefores of it all, but with most of my students these days being people who have been through multiple classes with me, I’ve pared the explanations right back. (Plus I do have a couple of people who have threatened mutiny if I bring Imperial out again …) But it’s such an important skill (and such an amazingly deep and complex poem) that I’ve decided I need to offer this as a stand-alone session, and make it as widely available as I can. (Possibly I should always have my first R4W class be a more formal introductory class, to give my newbies a good foundation to build from. Hmm. Shall have to think about that.)
Anyhow, if you’re interested in attending this session, we’ll be starting between 1.30 and 2 pm (depending on how late our final R4W class runs), and will go until 3 pm. It’s mostly going to be me standing in front of the white board and talking, so no writing exercises or anything like that. The session is completely free, but I do need you to tell me that you plan to be there so I have enough handouts printed (and don’t have to keep getting up every few minutes to let yet another person in). Either email me directly, or leave a comment below (I get to see your email address, but it shouldn’t be visible to anyone else).
Looking forward to it!
What: An Introduction to Close Reading
Where: The Sydenham Room,
South Christchurch Library Learning Centre
When: 1.30 to 3 pm
Saturday 3rd December 2016
Cost: Free!
A Dark Feathered Art 