Thursdays, 2 - 4 pm
September 17 - November 5
8 sessions, $180
Your source of adult education in the humanities for the past 30 years.
Welcome to the Fall term of the Newberry Library Seminars Program! We are proud to offer a wide variety of informal, non-credit courses designed for adults with busy schedules and inquiring minds, all under the roof of one of the nation's most renowned humanities research libraries. Registration for fall classes is open.
With more than fifty courses, from music and arts to history and literature, we're sure there's a class for you. Take time for reading and quality class time this fall with a course on British drama, learn the history of medieval Europe, debate the merits of pragmatism, or study German romantic fairy tales. Or even write a short story, listen to music, or refine your genealogy skills. Pursue your creative and scholarly interests, and explore the humanities, in a Newberry Library seminar this fall.
Please click on the subject links below, or simply scroll down to view all the seminars offered this term.
Chicago Interest
Arts, Music, Film, and Radio
Philosophy and Religion
History and Genealogy
Literature and Theater
Writing Workshops
Reading the Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham’s Civic Vision
Tuesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 15 - October 13
5 sessions, $140
Register Online
The Plan of Chicago (1909) was based on the conviction of its principle writer, Daniel Burnham, that citizens can intervene in the rush of unplanned urban growth to re-direct Chicago’s physical structure, creating conditions conducive to humane and prosperous living. We will read and discuss the text, diagrams, and illustrations of the Plan itself, to learn about an important epoch in Chicago’s history and to reflect on the challenge it poses to our experience of living in Chicago a century later.
Donald H. Whitfield, Director of Higher Education Programs at the Great Books Foundation, is an experienced discussion leader and has recently led several study groups on the Plan of Chicago.
A People’s History of Chicago, 1880-1960
Wednesdays, 6 – 7:30 pm
September 16 - October 28
7 sessions, $170
Register Online
This course will explore the social history of Chicago in the years between the Great Fire of 1871 and the modern Civil Rights Movement. Our core texts will be works of historical fiction, including selections from Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, and Richard Wright’s Native Son. Using these as windows into the city’s vibrant past, we will investigate the changing texture of everyday life amidst vast social, political, and economic change.
Heath Carter is a Ph.D. candidate in United States history at the University of Notre Dame.
It Didn’t All Go Up in Flames: Researching Pre-Fire Chicago
Thursdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
October 22 - November 5
3 sessions, $95
Register Online
Many researchers mistakenly believe that the Great Fire of 1871 destroyed all record of early Chicago. This seminar belies that common misconception by introducing participants to the wide variety of rich resources available for exploring pre-fire Chicago. Using a thematic approach, we will explore maps, city directories, railroad guides, newspapers, diaries, church records, sheet music, and much more. We will also discuss relevant holdings at local institutions and search strategies for further research.
Ginger Frere, M.L.S., and Matt Rutherford, M.L.S., are reference librarians in Local and Family History at the Newberry Library.
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Registration Information
* indicates the class is offered on a weekday morning or afternoon
# indicates CPDU credit available for Illinois teachers seeking recertification
Wasteland or Wonderland: Music in the Twentieth Century
Wednesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 16 - October 7
4 sessions, $115
Register Online
Was the twentieth century a musical wasteland from which emerged a plethora of inspired ideas but only a trickle of pieces that can stand the test of time? Or was it a wonderland of new sounds and images from which later composers will draw? We will examine the many styles of music that are part of twentieth-century composer palettes, and will follow their transformation throughout the century, examining atonality, serialism, neo-classicism, romanticism, chance, improvisation, theatre, electronics, and minimalism.
Stephen Kleiman is a composer and conductor who has researched the contributions of the twentieth century to musical life.
# The Rise and Fall of Operetta
Thursdays, 2 - 4 pm
September 17 - November 5
8 sessions, $180
An operetta is a musical work for the stage that employs songs, spoken dialogue, and a light-hearted romantic plot. The form flourished from the mid-nineteenth century to the end of the 1920’s, when it was replaced by the musical. We will hear selections from operettas of Jacques Offenbach, Johann Strauss, Jr., Gilbert and Sullivan, Franz Lehár, Sigmund Romberg, Rudolf Friml, and others on recordings by great singers of the past and present.
Guy A. Marco holds a Ph.D. in musicology and has written or edited more than 50 music reference books, including Opera: A Research and Information Guide (second ed., 2001). He has taught Newberry seminars since 1996, including several on operas.
The Mechanics of Movables
Thursdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 17 - November 5
8 sessions, $180
Pull a tab. Turn a wheel. Bring new life to your page by animating it with movables. Learn the principles that guide movables that we see in many interactive trade books. Beginning with tools and techniques, we will progress to building a series of increasingly complex movable structures. Participants will examine the work of commercial paper engineers and will discuss possibilities for movables in their own work.
Shawn Sheehy edits pop-up artists’ books and teaches paper engineering workshops nation-wide.
Great Concerti from Bach to Brahms and Beyond: An Historical Journey
Tuesdays, 2 - 4 pm
September 22 - November 10
8 sessions, $180
Register Online
As a virtuosic showcase for soloists, the concerto is integral to symphonic programming. Its historical evolution runs parallel to the development of the symphony—from Vivaldi and Bach’s Baroque forms; to Mozart’s classicism; to Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Chopin’s romanticism; and to the innovations of Bartok. By listening to a broad sampling of concerti, you will gain skill in recognizing periods, forms, styles, instrumental subtleties, and the art of interpretation that falls to every soloist and conductor.
Stephanie Ettelson has offered pre-concert lectures and classes in all areas of classical music for three decades. An orchestral and chamber music violinist, she is a former music critic and arts writer.
Revolutionary Road: German Opera from Mozart through Wagner and Strauss
Wednesdays, 10 am - Noon
September 23 - October 28 (class will not meet October 14)
5 sessions, $135
Register Online
How did German and Austrian composers take humble popular musical forms like the traditional “Singspiel” and transform them into magnificent works that stirred controversy and revolutionized opera? We will explore the history of German opera by tracing the innovations of Mozart to the great operatic works of Wagner and Richard Strauss. We will end the course in the early twentieth century.
Mark Hagland is a journalist, researcher, public speaker, and author. He works primarily in the health care field.
Radio Mysteries and Detective Stories
Saturdays, 11 am - 12:30 pm
September 26 - November 21 (class will not meet October 10)
8 sessions, $180
Register Online
Take a trip back to radio’s golden age and crack cases with Nero Wolfe, Richard Diamond, Sam Spade, Johnny Dollar, and other beloved sleuths from this classic era. From "Inner Sanctum" to "War of the Worlds," we will take a close look at the mysterious side of the radio medium.
Gwen Ihnat, a former editor at the Chicago History Museum, received her M.A. fromNorthwestern University, where her thesis on old-time radio won the Elizabeth A. Dipple Award for best paper.
Criminal Minds: Crime and Punishment in the Films of David Mamet 
Tuesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 29 - November 10
7 sessions, $170
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet is one of the most influential voices in contemporary American theater and film. We will discuss his major films, such as The Verdict, The Untouchables, House of Games, Homicide, Wag the Dog, and The Spanish Prisoner, and lesser known films, including Things Change, The Edge, We’re No Angels, and The Heist. We will explore the role Mamet’s Chicago roots play in the development of his “criminal mind,” especially his use of the con game and the vast cast of characters that people his cinematic medium. Please view Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) before the first class.
Leslie Kane, an Emerita Professor of English and a Fulbright Lecturer, holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from New York University. She is the author and editor of eight books on David Mamet.
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Registration Information
* indicates the class is offered on a weekday morning or afternoon
# indicates CPDU credit available for Illinois teachers seeking recertification
Pragmatism and the Quest for Truth
Tuesdays, 6 - 7:30 pm
September 22 - November 3
7 sessions, $170
Register Online
“The truth will set you free,” proclaims a popular saying. But what is truth, and how do we find it? We will explore these and other questions by grappling with America’s most important contribution to philosophy: pragmatism. We will attempt to account for pragmatism’s intellectual and cultural importance and its provocative nature by reading some of the key authors in its creation, as well as some of its recent advocates and interpreters. We will read works by William James, Oliver Wendell Holmes, John Dewey, and Richard Posner, among others.
Theo Anderson holds a Ph.D. in modern U.S. history from Yale University and specializes in intellectual and religious history.
# The Virgin of Guadalupe: Myth, Icon, and Vision
Saturdays, 1 - 3 pm
September 26 - November 14
8 sessions, $180
We will examine the figure of Mary, called the queen of Mexico and the patroness of the Americas. Held aloft in battle; depicted in innumerable poems, paintings, sculptures, and murals; sewn into the headdresses of traditional dancers; tattooed onto bodies; and ubiquitous on home altars from Chicago to Chiapas, the Virgin of Guadalupe is more popular than ever before. We will explore different aspects of her image in order to illuminate the unexpected yet potent connections between religion, culture, history, and identity.
Elizabeth Pérez, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Chicago Divinity School, specializes in religions of the Afro-Atlantic world.
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Registration Information
* indicates the class is offered on a weekday morning or afternoon
# indicates CPDU credit available for Illinois teachers seeking recertification
Searching Library Catalogs and Databases Effectively
Tuesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 15 - September 29
3 sessions, $95
Register Online
Where do you start when using a new database or catalog? What are wildcards, truncation symbols, and controlled vocabulary? How do they help you find information on-line? This seminar is aimed at those new to research, those who want to update their skills, and experienced researchers with limited exposure to electronic searching.
Ginger Frere, M.L.S., reference librarian and principal of a research firm, has been introducing people to technology for over 20 years.
# Saxons, Saints, Scholars: Britain and Ireland, 400-1066
Wednesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 16 - November 18
10 sessions, $200
Register Online
During the early Middle Ages in Britain and Ireland, four distinct cultural traditions emerged—the English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh—which endure to this day. We will explore such topics as the legendary King Arthur, the increasing dominance of the Anglo-Saxons, St. Patrick and Celtic monasticism, the Book of Kells and other illuminated manuscripts, the Viking invasions, Alfred the Great, the independent kingdoms of Scotland and Wales, and the Norman conquest.
Frank A. Biletz holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago, with a primary specialization in British and Irish history. Currently a Lecturer in History at Loyola University Chicago, he has taught history seminars at the Newberry Library since 1994.
Medieval Britain through Historical Fiction, 1307-1485
Tuesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 22 - November 24
10 sessions, $200
Register Online
Explore the Hundred Years War, the Black Death, the Age of Wycliffe, the Peasants’ Revolt, the Wars of the Roses, and other highlights of medieval British history. Historical novels by P.C. Doherty, Sharon Penman, Candace Robb, Josephine Tey, and others provide an engaging introduction to the period. We will discuss historical issues such as family dynasties, civil wars, taxation, peasant rebellions, anti-clericalism, plagues, royal intrigues, and everyday life.
Matthew Bird, a law librarian and independent scholar, holds a B.A. in history from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in international politics from the University of Wales.
Debating the Constitution: The Federalist Papers and Anti-Federalist Essays
Tuesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 22 - October 27
6 sessions, $155
Register Online
One of the most remarkable debates in history took place in 1787-1788, when American essayists debated the merits of the Constitution drafted in Philadelphia. We will discuss several of the renowned Federalist Papers that supported the Constitution, along with essays of anti-Federalists, whose criticisms helped shape how the Constitution was ultimately implemented and interpreted.
Joseph S. Harrington holds an M.A. in history from the University of Connecticut. He previously led a Newberry seminar on Thomas Paine, Edmund Burke, and the Age of Revolution.
# A Nation Once Again: Ireland 1750-1900
Saturdays, 10 am - Noon
September 26 - December 5 (class will not meet November 28)
10 sessions, $200
Online Registration is closed. To register, please call (312) 255-3700.
Nineteenth-century Ireland was transformed by the social trauma of the Great Famine, nationalist movements asserting political autonomy, and an increasing consciousness of a distinctive cultural identity. We will explore the United Irishmen and the 1798 Rising, the Act of Union, Daniel O’Connell and Catholic Emancipation, the repeal movement, the Great Famine, the devotional revolution, the 1848 and 1867 Risings, Home Rule, the Land League, Parnell and his fall, and the Gaelic revival.
Frank A. Biletz holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago, with a primary specialization in British and Irish history. Currently a Lecturer in History at Loyola University Chicago, he has taught history seminars at the Newberry Library since 1994.
Introduction to Mexican Genealogy Sources
Saturday, 10 am - Noon
September 26
One session, $40
Designed for beginning genealogists, this seminar offers an introduction to the research methods and resources used in Mexican genealogical research. Participants will have an opportunity to work directly with different library materials from Newberry collections as an introduction to genealogical information sources like birth, marriage, death and census records as well as maps, passenger ship lists, and other resources reaching back to Mexico’s viceregal period. Come and learn how the Newberry works and how its resources can help you trace your family history.
Gabriel Angulo holds an M.L.I.S. from the University of Wisconsin and has worked extensively with the Newberry's Mexican genealogy resources.
How to Create Your Family History
Saturday, 1 - 3 pm
October 3
One session, $40
Have you been researching your family history for years but have not yet shared the results with your family? Learn how to compile books varying from the simplest forms to those including historical information, biographies, and pictures. Please bring some of your research with you to the seminar.
Mike Karsen is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and Genealogical Speakers Guild and the author of five family histories.
Beginning Genealogy: A Crash Course
Saturday, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
October 17
One session, $65
Register Online
The Newberry Library has one of the strongest genealogy research collections in the nation. If you have considered tracing your family’s history in America, this one-session course will show you where to start. Learn how to organize your research and how to find information through sources in your home, courthouses, libraries, and on the Internet. Feel free to stay after class to jump into the collections!
Marsha Peterson-Maass is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and has taught numerous seminars at the Newberry.
Fundamentals of Genealogy: Advanced Analyzing, Recording and Organizing
Saturdays, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
October 24 - October 31
2 sessions, $95
Register Online
Taking you beyond the ARO basics, this seminar will present advanced genealogical techniques that will help you analyze, organize, digitize, and maintain your research materials. Learn about preservation, style sheets, document evaluation, and organizational forms, and devise your own ARO Plan. You can turn those piles into files and much more.
Marsha Peterson-Maass is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and has taught numerous seminars at the Newberry.
Reading the Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham’s Civic Vision
See "Chicago Interest" section
A People's History of Chicago, 1880-1960
See "Chicago Interest" section
It Didn’t All Go Up in Flames: Researching Pre-Fire Chicago
See "Chicago Interest" section
Return to Subject List
Registration Information
* indicates the class is offered on a weekday morning or afternoon
# indicates CPDU credit available for Illinois teachers seeking recertification
Reading Against the Day
Tuesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 15 - November 17
10 sessions, $200
Register Online
Thomas Pynchon’s sixth novel, Against the Day, has a cast of hundreds of characters, features dozens of plots, and presents a unique take on the world. The novel, which spans the events of Chicago's 1893 World’s Fair through the beginning of World War I, defeats readers’ expectations concerning plot, characters, and the direction of time's arrow. We will take a “guided tour” of the novel's complexities while attempting to place it within Pynchon's oeuvre.
Tim Strzechowski has led seminars on Milton and Dickens at the Newberry since 2003, and he likes mayonnaise. Gary Millman has led seminars on Melville and Pynchon at the Library since 1988, and he prefers red wine. Neither instructor plays the harmonica.
Shakespeare’s Comedies
Tuesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 15 - November 10
9 sessions, $190
Register Online
Dr. Johnson said that Shakespeare’s tragedy “seems to be skill, his comedy to be instinct.” Through a unique blend of seriousness and wit, Shakespeare displays a profound understanding of lovers and their complex emotions. A gallery of unforgettable characters—Bottom, Portia, Petruchio and Kate, Beatrice and Benedick, Rosalind, Malvolio, and Shylock—enriches the comedies. We will consider The Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Love’s Labour’s Lost, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night.
David Zesmer is Professor of English Emeritus at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
British Drama: From Ernest to Anger
Tuesdays, 6 - 7:30 pm
September 15 - November 3
8 sessions, $180
Register Online
In this lecture and discussion-based seminar, we will examine the rich period of British theatre from the late nineteenth to the middle of the twentieth century. We will explore major themes and movements in British drama, from the drawing room comedies of Wilde and Coward to the innovations of Synge, Eliot, and Priestley. We will also discuss Shaw’s and Osborne’s political plays, considering how the works function as social commentary, as well as the authors’ artistic achievements.
Todd Bauer, a playwright and director, holds an M.A. in liberal studies from Northwestern University. Currently he is the visiting artist with Visible Theatre Company in New York.
I Sing the Nation Electric: How Poetry Makes America
Wednesdays, 2 - 4 pm
September 16 - November 4
8 sessions, $180
Register Online
This course approaches poetry as a force that shapes ideas of citizenship and cultural identity. We will examine the form and content of familiar and less familiar poems from the period of the American Revolution to the present, including works by Longfellow, Whitman, William Carlos Williams, Allen Ginsberg, Adrienne Rich, and Joy Harjo.
Jennifer Shook is an Illinois Humanities Council Road Scholar and Lincoln Bicentennial Speaker. She is Artistic Director of Caffeine Theatre and an adjunct faculty member at DePaul University.
James Joyce’s Ulysses
Wednesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 16 - November 18
10 sessions, $200
Many readers attempting Ulysses for the first time find themselves overwhelmed by its length and difficulty. This seminar gives special attention to the beauty of the book’s organization, the symmetry of its plan, the relationship of style and content, and the evocation of feeling through technique. In our discussion, we will strike a balance between consideration of Joyce’s experimental methods and the more old-fashioned storytelling pleasure the book offers. The text is the Hans Walter Gabler edition.
Steve Diedrich has been teaching Ulysses at the Newberry since 1987.
Proust’s In Search of Lost Time: Sodom and Gomorrah
Wednesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 16 - November 18
10 sessions, $200
Register Online
Widely acknowledged as a twentieth-century masterpiece, Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time is at once an inquiry into the meaning of experience, a study of the development of an artist, and a portrait of life within a particular segment of society. This class will be devoted to a discussion of Sodom and Gomorrah, a novelistic exploration of moral, social, and artistic expressions of sexuality.
Joel Rich teaches an ongoing series on Proust’s writings at the Newberry. He created and maintains the web site, proustian.com.
German Romantic Fairy Tales
Wednesdays, 6 - 7:30 pm
September 16 - November 4
8 sessions, $180
Register Online
Unlike traditional folk fairy tales, intended primarily for children, the German Kunstmärchen were written for adults. The timeless, mythical qualities of the fairy tale were seen by German philosophers as a way to bring the realm of the supernatural to earth, making the irrational and the magical part of our everyday existence. We will explore these and other themes through the works of Novalis, E.T.A. Hoffman, and F. Kafka.
Irina Ruvinsky is a Lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She recently completed her dissertation, “Proust: The Circle of Time,” at the University of Chicago.
Fire in the Mind: Literature and the American Working Class
Thursdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 17 - December 3 (class will not meet October 22 or November 26)
10 sessions, $200
We will study writers who have translated deeply-felt social concerns into some of the most memorable writing in American literature. Through these writers’ works, we will explore the nature of writing for social change and the nature of social change itself. We will read writings by well-known labor movement figures, including Upton Sinclair, John Reed, and Langston Hughes, and will also discuss work be less well known leaders from the last decades.
Lew Rosenbaum teaches history at the Chicago Academy for the Arts, directs the Chicago Labor & Arts Festival, and edits the Chicago Labor & Arts Notes.
Twentieth-Century World Literature
Thursdays, 6 - 7:30 pm
September 17 - November 5
8 sessions, $180
Inspired by Nadine Gordimer’s essay, “The Essential Gesture: Writers and Responsibility,” we will explore how twentieth-century writers of varying nationalities and ethnicities challenged the political, social, and economic conditions in which they lived, and recorded their lives and times on the page. We will read writers including Isaac Babel, James Baldwin, Albert Camus, and J.M. Coetzee. Please read Gordimer’s “Essential Gesture,” available online, before the first class.
Heather Dewar holds an M.A. in English from Middlebury College and an M.A. in fiction writing from Northwestern University. Her work has appeared in a number of journals and magazines.
Contemporary Jewish Fiction
Tuesdays, 6 - 7:30 pm
September 22 - November 3
7 sessions, $170
Register Online
Of the Jewish novelist in America, Dan Walden observed: "The Eastern European experience, written by Yiddish writers, gave way to the American Jewish writers, and they in turn gave way to the Jewish American writers.” With Walden’s statement in mind, we will explore Jewish fiction of the past decade. We will consider its relationship to the twentieth-century "canon" of Jewish novelists and will probe the influences of Yiddish and Zionism. How do contemporary writers represent the twenty-first-century Jew?
Erica Lipper holds an M.A. in English literature from Georgetown University and works as a teacher and writer in the Chicago area.
How to Read Like a Victorian: The Scandal of Jane Eyre and Vanity Fair
Wednesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 23 - November 11
8 sessions, $180
Register Online
In 1848, the literary world gossiped over the dedication of the second edition of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre to Vanity Fair author William Makepeace Thackeray. Some theorized that Brontë was the model for both her eponymous heroine and the anti-heroine of Vanity Fair, and that Thackeray was her former lover and the inspiration for Jane Eyre’s dark hero. We will read both novels, in light of their Victorian contexts, to discover how they converse with each other and with modern readers, and how their first readers understood them.
Jennifer Sampson holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Chicago.
Ovid’s Metamorphoses
Thursdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 24 - November 12
8 sessions, $180
Register Online
We will consider Ovid’s Metamorphoses against the social and political background of ancient Rome and will discuss how Ovid reshapes tales from Greco-Roman mythology in order to ask questions about his own changing world. Please read Book 1 of the poem for the first session.
Jill Connelly holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in Classical Languages and Literature and has been teaching Classics for over ten years.
Reading Nikolai Gogol
Saturdays, 10 am - Noon
September 26 - December 5 (class will not meet November 28)
10 sessions, $200
Register Online
Nikolai Gogol, whose 200th birth anniversary we celebrate in 2009, was an enigmatic and original writer. We will read a variety of Gogol’s short masterpieces, including “The Nose” and “The Overcoat,” his play The Government Inspector, and the novel Dead Souls. We will focus on a close analysis of Gogol’s writing and will screen scenes from Russian films. Please read Gogol’s "St. John’s Eve" and "The Night Before Christmas" for the first session.
Julia Kriventsova Denne studied literature at St. Petersburg University, Russia, and currently leads several groups on Russian literature in the Chicago area.
The Latin Roots of the Romance Language Family Tree
Saturdays, 1 - 3 pm
September 26 - November 14
8 sessions, $180
Register Online
This course in beginning Latin offers something not usually found in introductory level classes—a brief sketch of both the ancient roots and the modern branches of a linguistic family tree. Intended for those with no prior knowledge of Latin but with speaking knowledge or two semesters’ study of a Romance tongue, this seminar offers participants a unique opportunity to view their languages of interest from immediate and long-range perspectives.
Susan Pezzino, a former United States Fulbright Scholar, holds an M.A. in Applied Linguistics and works as a professional language teacher and multimedia curriculum designer in Chicago.
Toni Morrison’s Beloved
Wednesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
October 14 - November 18
6 sessions, $155
Register Online
A survey of writers and literary critics conducted by the New York Times found Toni Morrison’s Beloved the best work of American fiction of the past 25 years. An enthralling and shocking work of historical fiction based on a true story, Beloved portrays a woman’s escape from slavery with her children—and the aftermath. We will read and discuss the novel, considering the literary techniques the author uses as she explores such themes as mother love and self-love, the trauma of slavery, and the effects of slavery on its survivors.
Linda Levine holds an M.A. in English Education from Northwestern University and has taught literary classics, including Beloved and Dante’s Inferno, for many years.
Dazzled by Truth: The World and Work of Franz Kafka, a Modern Jewish Storyteller
Thursdays, 6 - 7:30 pm
October 15 - December 10 (class will not meet November 26)
8 sessions, $180
Register Online
Franz Kafka’s name has become a synonym for the enormities of civilization in the twentieth century. Thomas Mann considered Kafka’s writings “among the worthiest things to be read in world literature,” and Cynthia Ozick declared that Kafka taught us to read the world differently. Through a close reading of Kafka’s short stories and an examination of his life and his nexus, Prague, we shall attempt to penetrate the seemingly unfathomable and inscrutable writing of this literary giant.
Dagmar Herrmann, an award-winning translator and teacher of Hebrew and Judaica, has studied and lived in Prague.
The Graphic Novel
Thursdays, 6 - 7:30 pm
October 15 - November 19
6 sessions, $155
Comics, or graphic novels, are the topic of many scholarly studies and a myriad of blockbuster films. Yet many Americans consider comic books a lower form of culture, not an art form. This course will challenge that idea by demonstrating comic book authors’ abilities to examine characters and to critique society in ways that are novelistic in scope and depth. We will read Alan Moore’s Watchmen and Brian K. Vaughn’s Y: The Last Man, among others.
Michael Moreci holds an M.A. in English from Northwestern University. He teaches at Flashpoint Academy, and his work has appeared in a number of publications. His first graphic novel, Quarantine, will be released in 2010.
# Rendering Words Aloud: Discovering the Joy of Poetry through Oral Interpretation
Tuesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
October 20 - November 10
4 sessions, $120
Register Online
In the beginning, the word was spoken, and the word was power. Bards and griots alike actively rendered their words for their audiences—they became the words they spoke. Drawing from principles of oral interpretation and theatrical performance, we will use oral readings to encourage a new appreciation of literature. Participants will strengthen their vocal skills and will deliver a selected poem for each other’s enjoyment.
Deborah Holton, an associate professor at DePaul with a Ph.D. in Theatre and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, draws from over eight years of reading literature for radio.
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Registration Information
* indicates the class is offered on a weekday morning or afternoon
# indicates CPDU credit available for Illinois teachers seeking recertification
First Class Mail
Wednesdays, 6 - 7:30 pm
September 16 - November 18
10 sessions, $200
This class focuses on reading letters by major poets and work-shopping student poems. By encountering poets’ day-to-day, firsthand perceptions, we will enrich our discussion of how the imagination works, the origins of the lyric form, and how our creative processes inform our writing. Letters by Rainer Maria Rilke, Marianne Moore, William Carlos Williams, and Louise Bogan may show up in your mailbox. During each class, we will answer mail and do close readings of your new poems.
Catherine Theis is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a recipient of the 2009 Illinois Arts Council fellowship. She has published poems in Fence, Court Green, Columbia Poetry Review, and Gulf Coast.
Exploring Our Stories of War and Service
Thursdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 24 - October 8
3 sessions, $95
Our culture and times are shaped by military actions. Through writing exercises and discussion, we will explore the soldier’s journey and war’s affect on the soul. Guest speakers will encourage participants to generate and share ideas and perspectives, and will help participants recognize their unique voices and stories. Area actors will perform the final drafts of participants’ work, followed by a discussion.
Lisa Rosenthal is a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists. She created the Vet Art Project, which offers opportunities for veterans and family members to collaborate with artists to create new art about war.
# Short-Shorts
Saturdays, 10 am - Noon
September 26 - November 7 (class will not meet October 24)
6 sessions, $155
Register Online
In our fast-paced modern world, most people have little time to read and even less to write. Short-shorts (or flash fiction), a brief form of storytelling, come to their rescue. Although short-shorts have been around for a long time, this genre is enjoying a renaissance in the publishing world. In this workshop we will read published examples of short-shorts, write our own, and offer critiques of students’ works.
Beatriz Badikian-Gartler has taught creative writing for more than twenty years and is the author of a novel and two collections of poetry.
# The Elements of Creative Writing
Saturdays, 1 - 3 pm
September 26 - November 14
8 sessions, $180
Register Online
Suspense and conflict, figures of speech and point of view, rhyme and rhythm, setting and scene, form and structure, diction and dialog, exposition and narration, plot and theme. This supportive yet challenging workshop will provide weekly assignments to help writers at all levels and of every genre master the elements of creative writing. Lively class discussions of student work will give participants the chance to see the elements of creative writing in action and to receive feedback on their own work.
Brooke Bergan has taught creative writing for nearly twenty years and has published critically acclaimed poetry, fiction, essays, translations, and a play.
Picture This: Writing Picture Books for Children
Tuesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
September 29 - November 3
6 sessions, $155
This workshop focuses on how to write a successful children’s picture book that touches, delights, and informs today’s young readers. We will consider the variety of picture books available today, the craft involved, the writing process, and today’s children’s book publishing world. Participants will share and discuss their manuscripts in class. Within a supportive environment, writers of all levels will be challenged to improve their writing.
Esther Hershenhorn authors award-winning picture books and middle grade fiction, coaches children’s book writers, and serves on The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Board of Advisors.
Going the Distance: A One-Day Seminar on Writing and Selling a Novel
Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm
October 3
One session, $95
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This seminar is for anyone, whether novice or experienced writer, who has tried to write a novel but has been unable to finish it, and for writers who want to fine-tune and market a manuscript. This seminar will address writer’s block, plotting problems, characterization, and creating effective dialogue. The class will focus on the expectations of editors, and we will also discuss marketing the finished novel and finding an agent.
Michael Raleigh is the author of seven novels, including In the Castle of the Flynns and The Blue Moon Circus. A retired teacher of English and History at Truman College, he now teaches writing at DePaul University.
Showing and Telling: The Effective Use of Scene and Setting
Saturdays, 12:30 - 4:30 pm
October 10 - October 17
2 sessions, $115
The foundations of any narrative form are the scene and the setting. Together they advance the plot, deepen understandings of characters, and affect mood and atmosphere. Through a series of writing exercises, participants will become familiar with the main functions of scene and setting, and best ways to open scenes. We will also examine how and when to use dialogue and narration. Everyone will be invited to read work aloud to gain helpful feedback. Writers of all levels are welcome.
Enid Powell has led numerous writing workshops in Chicago over the past twenty years and has published fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, and poetry. She holds an M.A. in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Activate Your Writing Ambitions
Saturday 1 - 4 pm
October 17
One session, $65
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Learning to be a writer is about owning the title writer, making space in your life for creativity, giving yourself permission to activate your creative energy, and harnessing your creative imagination. This one-day workshop, which uses writing exercises to help participants transition from dreaming to doing, will empower people who would like to write but don’t know how to begin. Writers in all genres are welcome.
Lisa Rosenthal is a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists. She was an editor at Chicago Review Press for over a decade, and is author of A Dog’s Best Friend.
Introduction to Publishing: From Gutenberg to Kindle
Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm
October 24
One session, $95
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The publishing industry is in a state of flux. The old rules don’t apply anymore. This workshop will offer both an overview of the industry and a primer on the nuts and bolts of book publishing as we demystify the editorial process. How does the book business work? Why do some books get published but others do not? Participants are encouraged to bring their own book proposals for discussion. Sample publishing contracts, cover letters, and book proposals will be provided.
June Sawyers is a former acquisitions editor and book publicist. She has written or edited 20 books, and her work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Common Review, and Verbatim.
Food Writing 101 and Beyond
Saturdays, 12:30 - 4:30 pm
October 24 - October 31
2 sessions, $130 (includes a $15 materials fee)
Register Online
Explore the life of food, culture, and the human condition with lectures, sensory exercises, and the chance to visit and review a Chicago restaurant. This seminar is for anyone who desires a career in food writing or who wishes to prompt their creativity in fiction, non-fiction, or memoir. The restaurant meal is not included in the seminar fee.
Ethel Hammer, Ph.D., is a nationally published food writer who specializes in celebrity chef interviews, restaurant reviews, and social analysis of the food world.
The Mind at Work: Writing the Personal Essay
Tuesdays, 5:45 - 7:45 pm
November 3 - December 8
6 sessions, $155
Online Registration is closed. To register, please call (312) 255-3700.
The personal essay thrives today because of its versatility in both subject and form. It can be funny, serious, scolding, or meditative. It can take the shape of a memoir or character sketch, book review or opinion piece, travelogue or nature essay. In this writing workshop, participants will practice writing the personal essay and will have the opportunity to present drafts of their work for group feedback.
Carol LaChapelle, M.A., is a writer and writing consultant who specializes in helping people write their personal stories, whether as family histories or for publication. She is the author of Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Stories, and can be found online at www.carollachapelle.com.
Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Stories
Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm
November 7
One session, $95
Register Online
Whether in a personal journal, for family histories, or as published essays and memoirs, telling our stories is a transforming experience. When we write down the important events in our lives, we better understand what they mean to us. In this workshop, the instructor will help participants recall and record their stories, in the process discovering their significance. Open to writers at all levels.
Carol LaChapelle, M.A., is a writer and writing consultant who specializes in helping people write their personal stories, whether as family histories or for publication. She is the author of Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Stories, and can be found online at www.carollachapelle.com.
Breaking Through with Brainstorming 
Saturday, 12:30 - 4:30 pm
November 21
One session, $80
Whether a writer prefers fiction, memoir, or personal essay, their first goal is to discover how to begin and to follow through. Writing exercises will give beginning and experienced writers who can’t get started, or who need to “break through” a writing block, a wide range of ideas and techniques to stimulate their creativity and confidence. Participants will have a chance to read their work aloud for helpful feedback.
Enid Powell has led numerous writing workshops in Chicago over the past twenty years and has published fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, and poetry. She holds an M.A. in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
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Registration Information
* indicates the class is offered on a weekday morning or afternoon
# indicates CPDU credit available for Illinois teachers seeking recertification