Class

Writing Power to the People

This powerful session explores the idea of writing from the perspective of power to the people. We will discuss a short reading from Patricia Hill Collins on what it "means" to write "power to the people" in further understanding our awareness of narrative perspective. We will look at excerpts from the writings of Margaret Atwood, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and others to see this narrative perspective in action.

Afterwards, we will complete a series of journaling prompts around a topic of our own choosing to experiment with creating a narrator that embodies the "power to the people" perspective. We will share our ideas, reflect on our work with additional journaling prompts, and develop a narrative statement to take home with us. Everyone will leave the session with a renewed sense of perspective, a deeper understanding of voice and narrative reliability, and tools to further develop one's craft into writing action and advocacy.

Students will be given the reading before the class session starts. It will also be helpful to have a basic understanding of narrative perspective, such as first, second, and third person, for the session.

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.