About
Dates: 4 Wednesdays, January 28-February 25 (No Class on 2/18) Time: 7-8:30pm (Pacific Coast Time) Format: In Person at Left Margin LIT Ages: Adult Class Description: This program is an experimental reading experience in which participants will carefully analyze Denis Johnson’s JESUS' SON (1992) a few stories at a time. The collection marks a transition for Johnson, as he was transitioning away from poetry and toward novel-writing. Many critics hail the book as a contemporary classic. Through close reading, longform attention, and cooperative discussion, we’ll study the book’s style, imagery, voice, and structure, among other craft elements. Animating questions we’ll take up include: What was Johnson trying to accomplish? What approach(es) did he use? Did he succeed? This is not a lecture class. (The instructor is not an expert on Johnson or his work.) We will not read the book through a biographical or critical lens. In fact, participants will be asked to resist online research, especially the use of AI, to contextualize Johnson’s writing. Instead we’ll explore the dynamic terrain of the text itself with the hope of sparking awe, wonder, and maybe even inspiration. If we’re lucky, our experience reading this rich, vexing book will foster a sense of togetherness and common purpose, the kind of purpose the book argues we need (perhaps now more than ever). LEFT MARGIN LIT'S CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY: If you find that you can't take a class for which you registered, you may request a refund, less a $25 administrative fee, at least 48 hours prior to the start of the first class session. After that threshold, refunds are not possible. If a class doesn't reach its minimum enrollment, it will be cancelled, and all students will receive full refunds.