Native Soil: Using Close Study to Read and Write About Home Tasha A. Thomas Director, Spartanburg Writing Project Dawn J. Mitchell SWP Partnership Coordinator

Agenda Overview : Discussion of “place” and “home” as themes in Southern writing; exploration of Ray’s “close study” and “reading like a writer” methods using Ron Rash work as anchor text Group Work : Participants work in small groups to apply close study and “noticing” strategies using mentor texts Group share : Compilation of “noticings” related to craft and theme in mentor texts; discussion of specific classroom application for the shared mentor texts and the close study methods Writing Under the Influence : Participants will spend time crafting their own original pieces as inspired by the Appalachian authors Writing Share/ Final Questions/Classroom Applications

“I discovered that my own little postage stamp of native soil was worth writing about and that I would never live long enough to exhaust it.” -William Faulkner, Lion in the Garden: Interviews with William Faulkner

Place in Southern Writing Much cultural diversity in Southern writing Writers touched by the Appalachian region seek to create a true sense of this place in their work Through intricate description of physical landscapes, recreation of dialect, and stark, yet realistic portrayals these authors take us deep into the place that is the South, that is our home.

“I learned how to write from writers. I didn’t know any personally, but I read.” -Cynthia Rylant “I say that the way one learns to write is by reading – and developing a passion for language used in meaningful ways.” -Lois Lowry

What is Close Study? A step into the inquiry process of teaching writing A time to “develop some shared understandings and language to name the qualities of good writing you’ve seen in the texts.” “Reading Like Writers” - Katie Wood Ray, Study Driven p. 128

Elements of Close Study Noticings: – What choices does the writer make regarding craft, structure, diction, punctuation, etc? – Why does the author choose to craft the work this way? – How might I use this technique in my writing? Writing Under the Influence

Questions to ask during Close Study Which parts are particularly good? What’s happening with the writing of these parts? How is the piece organized? What are the “chunks” of it? How does the piece move from one chunk to the next? Does it move through time or is it a list of ideas? Look closely at the lead and the ending – how does the writer manage these two critical chunks of the piece? How has the writer focused the piece? What’s included, and what has likely been left out?

More Questions for Close Study What different modes of writing operate in the piece (description, exposition, narration, etc.)? Is there any interesting punctuation work in the piece? Any insights about how page-break (in picture books) or paragraph-break decisions were made? How do graphics, illustrations, layout, font, etc. add to the meaning and appeal of the piece? How does the title of the piece relate to the meaning? How was it likely chosen?

Native Soil – Reading and Writing About Home Ron Rash Poetry Close Study “July, 1949,” Eureka Mill “Mill Village,” Eureka Mill “At Reid Hartley’s Junkyard,” Raising the Dead

1. NOTICE something in the text. 2. TALK about WHY the writer may have crafted the writing this way. 3. NAME exactly what the writer is doing in the text. 4. CONNECT to another text in which the writer uses the same craft. 5. ENVISION yourself using the same craft in your own writing. “what I cannot remember” “callousing” “lint-filled lungs” “sand-lapper relatives” Slows down the one moment in time The idea of poverty The hope of “eight-hour work days” and “indoor plumbing”—things we take for granted “hoe”—how much that one word, repeated, creates the image of his mother The idea of FATE—that one moment can change destiny “grip” vs. “Suitcase” “weave room’s roar” The beginning was before he was born, but we don’t realize that until the end to create a sense of the south—of place and history To show the character’s attitude To note the change in her life and the change in the culture To show that his father doesn’t yet know his mother is coming Circular ending Historical Context Theme Sensory imagery Word choice Theme Consonance Other Rash poetry No Star Nights about the steel mills in W. Virginia The Glass House All Over But the Shoutin’ When I Was Young in the Mountains My piece about candy and Mamaw comes full circle I want to write a tribute to my mother who sacrificed for me I want to create time-period pieces through research and concrete imagery I want to steal the line “This is what I cannot remember” This is my grandpa’s story: the donkey wasn’t cooperating, so he jumped on a train and went to SC Craft Study Thinking* Native Soil: Reading and Writing About Place and Home

“We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.” -T.S. Eliot “Little Gidding,” From Four Quartets

Rick Bragg All Over But the Shoutin’ Ava’s Man The Prince of Frogtown The Most They Ever Had Silas House A Parchment of Leaves The Coal Tattoo Clay’s Quilt Lee Smith Oral History Saving Grace Other Appalachian Writers

Noticings Chart Genre/TitleCraft TechniquesCommon ThemesSense of Place

"One place understood helps us understand all places better" — Eudora Welty

Native Soil – Reading and Writing About Home Writing Under the Influence Writing Time Writing Share Final Questions / Classroom Applications