Writing, the fourth

...just before November...

Here are the options for your next writing piece. Please note the notes which trail them:

1. On "Alcatraz Is Not An Island"...
PBS.org has developed a useful site featuring the film and Native American issues in San Francisco. To deepen your study of Indian stakes in the region, do a reading of the website (other sites also welcome) and write a piece focusing on an issue, artwork, or aspect of the Alcatraz events. Since Alcatraz is the site of other San Francisco histories, you could also include research/information on those histories alongside the Indian histories.

Click here to access the PBS/Alcatraz Is Not An Island site.

Note: your piece needs to go beyond simple praise (i.e., "This was an excellent and important film"), criticism, or summary of the film/events. Go for a specific topic that expands purposefully on the narrative of the film.

2. On Gary Snyder...
Select an essay from A Place In Space and write a piece on its implications as an ecological/poetic/SF-regional intervention. In other words, what specific practices or ways of thinking does Snyder call for, and why? What problems does he see, and what are the ways to approach those problems? Quotes and close, careful readings of the text are always good bets here.

Note: take care not to let your reading fall into easy generalization. Snyder, at times, can seem very simple and "Zen"/universal -- and he is in many ways. HOWEVER, he's anything but casual. How can you read the piece so you can understand the depth of Snyder's points? Use your piece to work through his thinking and the specifics of the ideas.

As always, if you need ideas on how to approach the readings and develop questions, I'm happy to offer suggestions.

sc