Tonight in CNF: Workshop, Best Questions, Intro to Sedaris

Tonight in CNF, we'll finish workshop on your Terkel-inspired pieces. I'll return your Terkel quizzes, too. (Good job, everyone!) And I will explain, once and for all, my Terkel obsession.

Then we'll all develop our own lists of sure-to-work interview questions. We'll use James Lipton's Actor's Studio as a model. Here are some links:

 

Questionnaire http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0gPwYvHb00

 

Dave Chappelle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84NjYRTHpfU

 

We'll test your lists, then do a quick introduction to David Sedaris.

 

Here are some links:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdY3q14spdw

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoH7X1ZOslc

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSjKKK0vc3A

 

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Assignment:  Read Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. Make a list of five things you think are key to Sedaris' humor. What makes his work so funny? What makes his work so good? Be ready to discuss next week.

 

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Extra credit:  If you'd like extra credit for our class (a .5 grade boost on the assignment of your choice), please attend tomorrow's Written/Spoken reading with poets Jimmy Cvetic and Bob Ziller at 7 p.m. in VH 118. I'll have a sign-up sheet available at the book table. Bonus if you try your list of sure-to-work questions on Jimmy and Bob.

 

Today in CNF: Tuesday, March 5

Open book quiz questions:

First, choose one of the pieces you read in WORKING.  Choose your favorite and say why it’s your favorite. Remember to identify the piece (name of subject) you’d like to discuss.

Comb the piece for evidence of Terkel’s “bingo moments.” Define the concept of bingo moments and, citing from the piece you’ve chosen, show evidence of these in Terkel’s work.

Discuss what you think makes the piece you’ve chosen effective and what qualifies the moments you’ve chosen as bingo-isms.

Be thorough. There are likely to be many bingo moments in a single piece. If one stands out more than others, point this out, too.

Then, consider your own interview process.

Did you experience any bingo moments with your source?

If so, cite these and discuss why they qualify as bingos. If not, discuss why you weren’t able to get your source to go there.

Discuss what worked best during your interview and what was more challenging. Discuss how pleased you are with the final portrait you’ve produced of your subject and whether or not it would stack up on the Terkel scale.

Worth 20 points                Grammar and style count.

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Over break:
Read through the Terkel-styled pieces handed out in class and come back ready to workshop. Also, have some fun. You deserve it!