Master Class: How to Read Your Writing in Public with Joseph Keckler
Master Class: How to Read Your Writing in Public with Joseph Keckler
1 Session: Thursday, January 29
6:00-8:00pm ET
Joseph Keckler
Joseph Keckler has performed his songs and stories around the world—from dive bars to Lincoln Center and NPR’s Tiny Desk. He is the author of the collection Dragon at the Edge of a Flat World. His most recent piece, A Good Night in the Trauma Garden, was commissioned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In this masterclass, he shares the tips, tricks, and techniques he’s picked up along the way for publicly presenting written work. Whether you want to feel more comfortable reading from your novel on an upcoming book tour, sharing poetry at your local open mic night, or are even considering adapting a story into a full-fledged performance piece, this session will offer practical and liberating guidance.
Together we’ll cover:
Editing text for live presentation
Grounding in your voice, breath, and body
Staying present and channeling nervous energy
Rhythm, timing, and musicality
Engaging your audience
Finally, we will explore how performing your text can, in turn, make you a better writer.
There will be a Q & A segment but no workshopping of student work or individual critiques.
Partial scholarships are available based on need. To apply, please fill out this form by Wednesday, January 21.
Praised by the New York Times as a "major talent... who shatters the conventional boundaries," Joseph Keckler operates in a mode of his own, somewhere between literature, opera and rock and roll, transforming vignettes of daily life into elaborate underworld voyages. He has recently presented his work at Lincoln Center, in an NPR Tiny Desk, and in a tour of Australia, and has given talks, performances, and workshops at Yale, Dartmouth and Mass MoCa. His debut essay/story collection, Dragon at the Edge of a Flat World was published by Turtle Point Press. He is currently under commission by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
