Class

So What? Your Story and Historical Context: A Class for Writers of Color and Indigenous Writers

Discover how your own story becomes richer and reaches a larger audience when placed within a broader historical frame, or historical context. Through sharing your stories with others, you will become more aware of your global historical context and practice linking your story to other people's stories. At the end of class, you will have experience widening your historical frame to include stories that might not have appeared before. You will also have writing prompts that help you use your historical frame to answer the “so what?” question for other readers such as agents. You won't need extensive historical knowledge, but you will need pen and paper, creativity, and flexible thinking.

In the first session we will explore how writers convey historical context from concrete details to values woven into the narrative, and use writing prompts and discussion to help you fit your story within a larger historical frame. We will also learn hidden ways that a story can relate to other stories through common historical trends such as industrialization and decolonization. Between the two sessions we will have an optional online discussion to continue our conversations and connections. In the second session we will continue our discussion of historical trends, focusing on how your story relates to those of other participants; we will also reflect on how we may bring our awareness of our interconnected stories into our writing.

This class is suitable for writers of any level and any genre. This includes marginalized writers and writers who want to explore how to be more self-aware and inclusive in their storytelling.

All Classes listed on the Loft website take place in Central Standard Time (CST); make sure you understand your time zone, and adjust accordingly

Instructions for Accessing This Online Class

In order to access live class meetings, you must have the Zoom application downloaded to your computer. You will also need a WiFi/Internet connection throughout the duration of your scheduled meeting and a computer with audio and video capability. The information to join your Zoom classroom will be provided in your confirmation email upon registration. Please check spam folders if you do not see this email upon registration. For more information on how to use Zoom, please see our training manual here.

Some classes use a supplemental Google Classroom page. Should your teaching artist use Google Classroom, you will be invited to join the classroom via email at least 24 hours in advance of your class (check spam folders if you are not seeing this invitation). Please note that Google Classroom requires a Gmail address to access the Classroom. If you do not have a Gmail account, the email invitation will be sent to the email address we have on file and will prompt you to create a free account or enter an existing account to join the classroom. If we are unable to send an email invitation to your non-gmail account, you will be contacted by a staff member to provide a Gmail address. If you do not have a Gmail account, you can create a free account here. Should you have concerns about this, please contact a Loft staff member at [email protected] or 612-379-8999. For more information on how to use Google Classroom, please see our training manual here.