An update from our thirty-fourth Book Club meeting! This month we read and discussed The Wolf Wilder, an enchanting and suspenseful novel set in tsarist Russia, which follows Feo, a young girl who works with her mother to help re-wild wolves who have been kept in captivity by aristocrats. When the evil General Rakov arrests her mother, Feo sets off to rescue her, along with her new friend Ilya, who has deserted the army, and her fierce wolf companions. It was a very small group today, but we still had a lively discussion. We talked about our favorite parts of the book, including Feo and Ilya’s developing friendship, the clever way that the children sneak into Saint Petersburg, and the inspiring moment when all the children band together to storm the jail. We agreed that the writing was beautiful throughout, and, although the settings had a fairytale-like quality, the characters felt real! We also talked about themes and questions that the novel poses, including the difference between fear and cowardice; how Feo learns to trust and rely on other people; the right of children to fight for the world they want to live in; and the ways in which the book is similar to and different from a fairytale. For our writing prompt, we took a page out of The Wolf Wilder and had the chance to write a scene where a character interacts with an animal, preferably one that isn’t very tame! One student read aloud a fun scene about a girl who plans to try to ride on a bull in her family’s farm. The Wolf Wilder was a great read, and I look forward to seeing more folks on Zoom next month for our next book club meeting. Make sure to sign up for the spring session! Our Next Book: April 30th A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
Workshops
How Stories Work—Writing Workshop #32: Katabasis & Anabasis
An update from the thirty-second Writing Workshop with Conner Bassett A summary of the workshop held on Saturday March 19, plus some of the output published below This week, we turned our focus to two Greek words/themes—katabasis (descent) and anabasis (ascent)—both of which have a long standing tradition in literature. Before moving into examples of each, we clarified that themes of katabasis and anabasis can pertain to more than just literal plot or theme, specifically that a poem whose form becomes denser and more difficult to understand as it goes on can be understood as katabasis, and a poem that becomes lighter and easier to understand as it goes on can be understood as anabasis. Beginning with katabasis, we looked at the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, how Orpheus, the first poet, had to descend into the underworld to bring back his dead lover, Eurydice. As we looked at other examples of katabasis, like Odysseus in the Odyssey and Aeneas in the Aeneid, it became clear that oftentimes protagonists must perform katabasis in order to gain knowledge, or understanding—that they must first go down before rising up. We then moved onto anabasis, beginning with a discussion of the myth of the phoenix, a bird that is born (and reborn) from the ashes. We learned that anabasis often manifests in literature in the form of a literal rebirth, the overcoming of challenges, or the attainment of knowledge, and such characters might often be identified as enslaved, a struggling artist, a lone inventor, an underdog. We found the archetype of anabasis in examples such as Harry Potter, Aladdin, and Great Expectations. We also touched on Dante’s Divine Comedy, which combined both katabasis and anabasis. The Participants: Emma, Penelope, Amelia, Ethan, Ellie, Josh, Quinn, Gwynne, Lina, Zar, Alice, Chelsea The Challenge: Write a story or poem that uses anabasis &/or katabasis in form &/or theme. To watch more readings from this workshop, like Amelia’s below, click here. Amelia, 11
Writing Workshop #61: Stream-of-Consciousness
An update from our sixty-first Writing Workshop A summary of the workshop held on Saturday, March 12th, plus some of the output published below In this workshop, William went over the concept of Stream of Consciousness. He emphasized the lack of traditional structure in Stream of Consciousness writing, and the wondering and wandering nature of the style. The writers saw examples from literature, including Virginia Woolf and T.S. Eliot. As a mini-writing challenge, William played a clip from a silent French film and asked the writers to imagine a stream-of-consciousness from the perspective of the woman in the film. The Challenge: Let the thoughts of your character run freely. Focus on sights, thoughts, feelings, sounds. The Participants: Agatha, Eliana, Lauren, Yueling, Liam, Stella, Kate, Elbert, Peri, Anya, Rachael, Ananya, Kelby, Iago Peri Gordon, 12Sherman Oaks, CA Bad Dog by Peri Gordon, 12 Her Hand reaches Stroke, stroke I love— No, don’t leave Wait— Slam Alone School. Tail Chase, chase, pant Where’s the food? Yesterday’s was good Combined with stroke stroke and music from black and white thing Hoop jump! Treat Hoop jump! Treat Hoop jump! Treat Hoop? Not again Run away Couch Click, flash, see myself tiny Soft hand soft hand stroke stroke Just like her Still at school? Ahhhh Treats without jumping Happyslurplick Couch suddenly gone Suddenly hard brown tiny balls Food! Yuckyewwblech! Like when I licked the old woman’s skin She was so nicesweetgentle but I should have never licked her skin But she was so nicesweetgentle Just like her Still at school? Bite Yuckkyewwblech! Brown balls go flying Deep voice “Bad dog!” Shrill voice “Waffles! Bad dog!” Waffles I think that’s me Or is it sweet round thing with little boxes? I think it’s both But “bad dog” usually means me Usually followed by angry shouts “Bad dog” comes after things like ripping up bed Or running away Or I guess making food go flying Is it even food? She would never give it to me Deep voice and shrill voice people aren’t as nice She is nicer Still at school? Ugh Couch Wait Wait Wait Close eyes Peek Close eyes Peek Blurry silhouette outside Door opens Run run run trip run run run ouch run run shatter noise she’s home!!! Kisskisshappyslurplicknicesweetgentle I love her Soothing voice almost blocks out deep voice and shrill voice saying “Bad dog!” “Bad dog” is okay when I can hear “good dog” too
