Writers Who Read LIVE!: Let Us Descend - Jesmyn Ward

December's hybrid meeting--IN PERSON at the Boulder Library Main Branch second floor Flatirons Meeting Room & ONLINE (see link when you register)--is Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward (USA, 2023) on Sunday starting at 2:30 pm (for 2 hours).

Two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward draws heavily on Dante's Inferno as a metaphor for the agonizing journey of an American slave. Annie is our Virgil, guiding us deeper and deeper into hell, as the spirit of her African warrior grandmother helps her to develop her own resourcefulness and strength.

We are Writers Who Read. We use Literary Forensics to dissect a recent novel (published within the past 18 months) with the goal of uncovering how the author has utilized their skills for effect. Storytelling is an art, but it's not a mystery. Every writer must address the following:

• Structure, Timeline, Pacing, Suspense, Omission
• Point of View, including Voice, Character, Place
• Language, Tense, Imagery, Metaphor, Symbols
• Motivation: Making a story pop - generating a thrill
• Why this story? And why now? Industry considerations

We ask that all attendees read the entire book in advance of the meeting, and come bearing their discoveries of how the author has addressed each of the five points above.

More information about other Writers Who Read meetings and our WwR Podcast can be found at: https://WritersWhoRead.com