Mentor Text Talk

Find a text that you feel has something to offer us on how to compose. We are focused on where we are from, where we are, and where we are going, but your text doesn't necessarily have to focus on these topics. It's more important that we can learn something about how to compose from it. You'll want to choose a unique text, one that subverts some of our expectations, one that offers a strategy we aren't already familiar with, but one we might aspire to create ourselves.

In your talk you'll want to present your text. This should be short enough to share within just a few minutes. You'll probably want to talk about why you chose the text, and a little bit about its history/exigence.

Then you'll guide the class through what the text has to teach us about composition. What structures or strategies can we copy? What does it ask us to consider about composition that we might not have considered before? How is it a genre that is future leaning, one that expands our already growing digital media-rich world?

Allow some time for the class to engage with the strategy you highlight. Let us practice it on our own. Save time, too, for some sharing, even if it is just your own example that you composed.

If you are using technology, please have that ready to go. You might want to host it on your portfolio or a google doc that you can get to without logging in.

In total, your talk should not exceed 30 minutes.

Need some ideas? Check out https://www.nytimes.com/column/learning-mentor-texts