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NEW CLASSES for the FALL and WINTER |
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NEW CLASSES for the FALL and WINTER In an effort to better serve our customers, Politics & Prose is in the process of expanding the array of classes it offers. We have hired Susan Coll, an accomplished writer herself, to put together a list of course offerings sure to appeal to a wide range of literary, artistic and other interests. - Brad & Lissa
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KNIT LIT: for knitters at all levels who love literature, too |
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KNIT LIT: for knitters at all levels who love literature, too This four-session class will cover a range of knitting topics, from the literary to the practical. We’ll use Ann Hood’s novel, The Knitting Circle, to spark the literary end of the conversation as we launch new projects and/or consult with the instructor on works-in-progress. Conversation might include the appearance of knitting in film and literature; its role in therapy, meditation, and brain exercise; and as a tool to overcome grief. We will also consult a number of practical and visually compelling instructional guides such as Alice Starmore’s collection of Aran patterns, and the simple but trendy Cowl Girls: The Neck's Big Thing to Knit, a collection of great neck warmers, as part of the focus on technique and possibility. Depending on individual levels, instruction might be given on how to combine two simple stitches, knit and purl, to make nearly any pattern. More advanced students can work on cables, lace or fair isle, all old techniques that have recently been made new again. The class will also focus on the latest trends in knitting such as "yarn bombing"---- which is basically graffiti with yarn and so popular a trend that it was recently the subject of a New York Times article. This class will meet for two hours over four consecutive weeks. (Students should bring their own knitting materials, but the instructor will also bring a range of yarns and needles for those who are just beginning projects and/or would like suggestions.) Price: $100 ($80 for members) Other suggested books include: Click for these books and/or to enroll. ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR Linda Greider has written about knitting and many other subjects for Washingtonian Magazine, The Washington Post and AARP. She knits everywhere she goes, but she lives in Washington DC. |
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FORMS DO NOT MEAN FORMAL |
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FORMS DO NOT MEAN FORMAL After having great fun dipping our toes into the water of poetic forms with sonnets, this class will continue our investigation into the exuberant history of form and expression. Have you ever wondered why something is called a poem if it doesn't rhyme or scan? By looking at different forms, you will understand the continuum between defined and open structures. Our book includes both historical and contemporary examples of villanelles, sestinas, elegies, ballads, pastorals and odes, among others, and will give all of us wide exposure to writers from Chaucer to our contemporaries. I promise a light-hearted romp that will edify and delight. Come join us; no experience necessary, just a love of words and pleasure in the company of others. Price: $120 ($100 for members) The Making of A Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms Available at P&P at a 20% discount to registrants Click here for the book and to enroll. ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR Gigi Bradford is chair of the Folger Poetry Board and co-editor of the forthcoming Shakespeare's Sisters chapbook to complement the 2012 Folger Library exhibition and seminar of the same name.
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CLOSE READING: HOW TO READ FICTION LIKE A WRITER | ||||||
CLOSE READING: HOW TO READ FICTION LIKE A WRITER A seminar for readers and writers. In this class we'll take the first chapter of Daniel Woodrell's gripping and beautiful novel Winter's Bone (Back Bay, $13.99), read it aloud one sentence or paragraph at a time, and hold each part up to the light. (It helps to read the chapter in advance; you may not be able to keep from reading the book.) Close-reading is a slow, pleasurable, and surprisingly exciting process. It's how writers improve their craft as they read. It's also a craft in itself that can help a reader slow down at critical moments and appreciate more keenly how a story is made. Close-reading the opening of Winter's Bone, we'll examine how Woodrell establishes sense of place, conflict with nature and neighbors, ramps up tension, reveals character, anchors the piece in sensory detail, leaves the reader's imagination room to create the scene, and opens the door to his novel. Readers will leave with a heightened appreciation for the craft of fiction; writers will refine their ability to learn from what they read. Price: $40 ($35 for members) ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
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JOURNAL KEEPING: CREATE YOUR OWN INSPIRATION, | ||||||
JOURNAL KEEPING: CREATE YOUR OWN INSPIRATION, Saturday, October 1, 2011, 10 a.m. - noon Many people start journals only to stop. There is an art to journal-keeping that is as easy as reaching up and screwing in a light bulb above your head. Imagine, years from now, that you or someone else opens up your journal and is inspired by what you have written. Space is limited. Reservations required. Join us! ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR |
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BRITAIN IN FACT AND FICTION: Our Mutual Friend | ||||||
BRITAIN IN FACT AND FICTION: Our Mutual Friend Wednesday, October 12, OR Thursday, October 13, 1 - 3 p.m. Charles Dickens’s last completed novel, Our Mutual Friend (Modern Library, $11.95), published in 20 monthly installments in 1864-5, bursts with quirky characters, action, and mystery. It is sometimes comic, often violent. The novel reveals class hierarchies, women’s roles, London life, and the obsession with money, along with profound psychological truths. It is masterful Dickens. In this one session, the class will examine Dickens’s take on British life in the mid-Victorian era. At the same time, it will follow the extraordinary storyteller to his happy ending. ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS Virginia Newmyer has lectured frequently for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington and in Great Britain on a wide variety of topics in British history and literature. She also teaches at OLLI at American University, as well as Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and Jupiter. For five years she and Susan Willens have been holding classes at Politics and Prose that examine the threads that join British fiction and history. She has been crazy about English novels since she was twelve years old. Dr. Susan Willens, emerita professor of English at George Washington University, has joined Virginia Newmyer in offering classes on British history and literature at Politics and Prose for many years. She also teaches at the Smithsonian Resident Associates Program, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and other book-discussion classes. She is an incurable teacher! |
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BEGINNING, MIDDLE OR END: Memoir Writing This Holiday Season | ||||||
BEGINNING, MIDDLE OR END: Memoir Writing This Holiday Season As the holiday season approaches, start fashioning your memories into words. This is the perfect time to gather stories from family members. This four-week workshop will focus on writing a memoir by breaking it down into pieces: linked personal essays. We will closely read selected essays from The Art of the Personal Essay, edited by Phillip Lopate. Participants will also respond to writing prompts, workshop revised drafts, and discuss on-going projects. Students will receive feedback from peers as well as from the instructor. In the final class, we will discuss weaving together the essays and working toward a complete memoir, as well as strategies for publication. (Note: There will be no class on November 24.) Price: $100 ($80 members) The Art of the Personal Essay, edited by Phillip Lopate (Anchor, $21) Also recommended: Click here for these books and/or to enroll. ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: Chloe Yelena Miller received an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College. Her poetry has been published in such journals as Alimentum, The Cortland Review, and Narrative. Her poetry manuscript was a finalist for the Philip Levine Prize in Poetry and in Narrative’s First Annual Poetry Contest. She is at work on a memoir that combines essay and verse. |
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WOMEN IN BRITAIN: Sex, Lies, Money, And Power(lessness) | ||||||
WOMEN IN BRITAIN: Sex, Lies, Money, And Power(lessness) The position of British women, from the 16th century until the present, has undergone dramatic change because of transformations in the structure of society. In over 500 years of history, women--in a continuous struggle with men and other women, privately and in public--have gained in power, in wealth, and in education. In this course, we will trace their progress, through examinations of history and literature, as women have approached full citizenship, economic rights, and personal freedom. The class, with lectures and discussion, will meet 1 - 3 p.m., on the dates noted below. January 2012 February 2012 March 2012 April 2012 May 2012 Price: $120 ($100 for members) ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS See their biographical information above. |
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BEYOND BOOKS | ||||||
Sunday, October 30 – Friday, November 4 Author Phyllis Theroux will conduct her annual Nightwriters residential seminar at the Bishop’s Ranch in the wine country of Healdsburg, California. Participants will meet in the main ranch house where Theroux (author of the memoir, The Journal Keeper (Grove, $14.95)) will show you how to use your own journal as a source of inspiration. She will take you through a series of exercises designed to crack open your imagination and to get your pen flowing across the page. Mornings are for seminar work; afternoons are free for individual writing. Open to professional and aspiring writers, enrollment is limited to 20 participants. For additional information, visit www.nightwriters.com/nightwriters/retreats/california/index.shtml. To register: click www.nightwriters.com/registration_form.html (If you can't attend this seminar, Phyllis will also schedule private consultations and personal retreats at her writer's cottage in Ashland, Virginia. Visit her website www.nightwriters.com for more details.) Contact Phyllis at: PTAshland@aol.com Saturday, October 15 – Sunday, October 16 The cost: The entire weekend - all the activities with the authors, four meals, one night's lodging - is only $500 per person. Accommodations at the Mariners Landing are in multiple-bedroom condominiums. Attendees are responsible for the own travel and purchases of books, etc. The authors: A dozen authors will participate; some you have met at Politics & Prose or have been local favorites, such as Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Amy Stolls, and Gretchen Rubin, as well as several debut authors. Click here to see the authors who have confirmed so far! To keep Club Read a personal and intimate experience, registration is limited. Click here for more details and to register today. Registration code "POLITICN" will identify you as a Politics & Prose customer, and will help by informing the organizers where you learned about the retreat. |
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