Remote Session (OCWW is remote only through Dec. 2020)
First Half:
Sometimes our fictional landscapes take on a particular and peculiar quality: it's as if the characters' feelings have invaded the setting, reflecting the characters' own sense of estrangement. I am calling such landscapes "Wonderlands," which have a strong emotional charge, as the characters try to understand what laws or rules govern the odd locale they have stumbled into. A Wonderland is easy to wander into but difficult to escape from.
I will be using examples ranging from Shakespeare's Macbeth up to Jordan Peele's film Get Out.
Bio: Charles Baxter is the author of six books of stories and six novels, most recently The Sun Collective (Pantheon) to be released in November. He has written two books on the writing of fiction, Burning Down the House and The Art of Subtext. His work has been translated into several languages and his novel The Feast of Love has been adapted for film. He is the Edelstein-Keller Professor of Creative Writing Emeritus at the University of Minnesota, and he lives in Minneapolis.
Second half: (led by Eric Rampson)
We will talk about the idea the "Subjectivity has leaked into virtually all settings," what that means, how we can use it, and, most importantly WHY
Bio Eric Rampson is a Chicago-based writer who spent almost 20 years studying, performing, and teaching improv comedy before getting his MFA in Fiction from The MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. He is the editor-in-chief of Lonely Robot Comics through which he publishes his comic, the rock-n-roll action-comedy The Redeemers. His fiction has been published in Change Seven Magazine, The Matador Review, Typishly, Metonym, Leaf~Land Journal, The Gateway Review, and Broad River Review. He has taught with Story Studio Chicago and offers editorial & coaching services through LiterallyFunny.com.
We offer free student memberships at a discounted rate of $5.00 per session. You must send verification of your student status. Please contact Claudia Katz at ckatz17755@aol.com for details.
9:00-9:30 Socializing
9:30-12:00 Program
