English 450: Living Writers                  Wed. 6:45 - 9:25 p.m.

Instructor: Lucy Ferriss

Office hours: VS115, Rm. 202, Wed. 12-2 & by appt.

This is a hands-on, reading/listening/writing/teaching course.  Our reading list comprises works by poets, essayists, and fiction writers publishing their work today and giving readings at Trinity and other venues in the Greater Hartford area.  The syllabus also includes work for us, as readers and writers engaged with the act of literature in our community.  Our official class meeting time is Wednesday evenings, and I have made every effort to schedule readings on Wednesday evenings.  I have, however, included some authors who are appearing in the Hartford area at other times.  As the course gets underway, we will determine if these other times present conflicts for any students and will adjust accordingly.  There may also be late notice of an important author or two appearing nearby, so there may be an addition to the schedule.  Regardless of these adjustments, we will be reading books by, and listening to, at least 10 authors during the semester.  Class meetings not devoted to a reading and follow-up discussion will include reports on interviews and book groups as well as close reading and analysis of the more difficult texts.

Transportation.  At this writing, there are 10 in the class, including the instructor.  Scheduled readings take place at Trinity, Wesleyan, the Northeast Writers Workshop, and the Mark Twain House.  We will try to carpool to off-campus readings, with drivers being reimbursed for gas at $.44/mile.  For more local venues, we will meet back in the classroom for discussion following the reading and Q&A.  For readings taking place at Wesleyan, I will try to find a classroom where we can meet briefly following the reading.  Arrangements will probably be simplest if the same people are generally willing to drive and be reimbursed for all off-campus readings.

Interviews and Book Groups.  You are expected to complete both of these activities, and to make your choices by the second week of February LATEST.  We will read sample author interviews from the Writer’s Chronicle and follow suggestions from Sarah Anne Johnson’s Art of the Author Interview.  You may contact your author by phone, mail or email.  You will conduct a phone or email interview and edit and hand in the transcribed interview for a grade.  For book groups, we have several venues, including Hartford Public Library, Bloomfield Public Library, local book groups, and the Literature Club.  You will hand in a 3-5 page analysis of the discussion group process for a grade.

Blackboard.  There is a Blackboard site for this course.  At least 24 hours before any given reading, you should post a response to the text on the discussion board at the site, and review your classmates’ comments.  Comments may be literary responses to the work or may also include possible questions to ask of the author.

Grading.         30% class participation, including attendance at readings and Blackboard

postings.

30% author interview

20% synthesis of work, evidenced in short quizzes given during the term.

20% book discussion group, evidenced in written prep and reflection

paper.

Tentative Reading List and Dates

Colm Toibin, The Master, Jan. 30*

H. G. Carrillo, Loosing my Espanish, Jan. 31*

Tayari Jones, Leaving Atlanta, Feb. 7, Mark Twain House

Okey Ndibe, Arrows of Rain, Feb. 14

Asali Solomon, Get Down, Feb. 21

John Ashbery, text to be announced, Feb. 27, St. Joseph’s College

Deborah McCutchen, Whale Road, March 7

Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies, March 28, Wesleyan

Francine du Plessix Gray, Them, March 29**

Catherine Bowman, Notarikon, April 18

William Meredith, Effort at Speech, May 2***

TBA: Book in conjunction with the Northeast Writers Workshop, weekend of April 14-15.  Please pencil in this weekend for this event; Trinity will cover cost of your attendance.

*We will choose ONE of these books to read, but will try to attend BOTH readings.

**We will also read selections from several memoirists appearing at “Giving Voice: A Symposium on the Art of Memoir,” March 29 – 31.  Please check your calendar and leave as much time open as possible on those dates.

***Note that this reading takes place after the official end of classes.  Because our reading load is light throughout April, I expect attendance at this class and event.