May
21
1:00 PM13:00

Online Class: What Is Style, Session 2

What is Style?
Full info & registration here

Session 2: Condensing Life to a Voice

 What makes a style successful is the sense it gives of an entire life—an entire world—condensed to a voice. In this second session we’ll take a more holistic approach to thinking about style and how it is crucial to the impression great writing gives of an inhabited world. We’ll also tackle the difficult question of how to deepen and expand our own styles, and I’ll share practices that have been helpful in my own (very much ongoing) work toward this. We’ll read passages from James Baldwin, Marilynne Robinson, Pedro Lemebel, and Eimear McBride, among others, and I’ll offer reflective prompts that we’ll consider together in class, as well as creative exercises for you to experiment with on your own.

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May
14
1:00 PM13:00

Online Class: What Is Style, Session 1

What Is Style?
Full info & registration here

Session 1: Sentence Style

“Style” is something writers talk about a great deal, but often without a clear sense of what we’re talking about. In this first session, we’ll try to break through the vagueness of our usual ways of talking about prose style to examine the concrete, observable elements that make it up. How can we meaningfully describe a writer’s diction? What are some useful concepts for seeing patterns in sentence structure and understanding their effects? How do great writers use figurative language to render both internal and external worlds? We’ll look at passages from Hemingway, James, and Jenny Zhang, among others. My hope is that at the end of the session you’ll feel equipped with tools that will help you learn from the style of the writers you love, and also be more conscious of and intentional about the elements that make up your own style.

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Feb
11
7:30 PM19:30

St. Louis, MO

What Belongs to You (Opera)
Washington University in St. Louis
A workshop concert performance of Grammy Award-nominated composer David T. Little’s operatic adaptation of What Belongs to You, performed by Alarm Will Sound and Grammy Award-winning tenor Karim Sulayman. More info here.

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