*Discussion Post Guidelines*–First write an original post of your own (aim for at least about 500 words) that addresses the questions below. Then, be sure to respond meaningfully to at least two of your classmates’ posts. Response posts should pick up on the conversation or conversations begun by the original poster by agreeing, disagreeing, offering alternatives, or going deeper into a particular idea.
We’re shifting gears here to read essays that operate in a mode more of us are familiar with–narrative or storytelling. The expectations with storytelling is that we’ll learn from the author important details that build a scene for us and also show us some kind of transformational event or sequence for a central character. These elements hold true for creative nonfiction the same way they do for fiction. The difference here is that the authors whose essays we’re reading have lived the details and stories they outline for us.
As you’re reading “Ashtray County” and “Home is a Place in Time,” pay attention to the writers’ attitudes toward the places they write about. What sort of tone do they strike? How do these essays make you think about your own associations with the word “home”-? Which of these two essays do you connect with more strongly? What leads you to make that choice?
What place might you decide to write about for your own essay? Keep in mind that you can be creative around how you define “place.”
*Discussion Post Guidelines*–First write an original post of your own (aim for at least about 500 words) that addresses the questions below. Then, be sure to respond meaningfully to at least two of your classmates’ posts. Response posts should pick up on the conversation or conversations begun by the original poster by agreeing, disagreeing, offering alternatives, or going deeper into a particular idea.
These readings ask you to think about the power you have as the teller of your own story. As you read “The Native Voice,” what associations come up for you? Do you have strong memories of being told stories or of telling stories? What elements fill those memories for you? Do you consider yourself a storyteller? If so, why? If not, why not? What specific line or lines from this piece feel the most important to you in terms of understanding the role and power of a storyteller?
The other reading, “Essay Openers,” is a bit different. I’ve gathered together the opening paragraphs of several different essays. You don’t have the benefit of seeing where each one is headed. The exercise here is to look at how opening paragraphs play an important role in creating our expectations of what might come next. You’ll need to make thoughtful choices about how you’ll open your place narrative essay, too. Which of these openings feels most effective? Least effective? Why?