ASSIGNMENT

Myriam Gurba states, “Art is one way to work out touch gone wrong” (32). Think about the possibilities and the limits of this claim as you read/view these works.

Select one of the two major texts for this unit to write a 250–300-word* discussion post (two paragraphs): Mean (2017) by Myriam Gurba or Ovarian Psycos (2016) by Joanna Sokolowski.

Note, any passages or quotes highlighted will not count towards you’re your discussion post word count.

Prompt Option #1: Mean

Background: Myriam Gurba is the author of the short story collections. For more on Gurba and our book, see the interview I posted in the Content folder where she talks about Mean.

Form: A memoir differs from autobiography in that it is not a chronicle of a person’s life but rather a remembrance of a particular event or time in one’s life. As a memoir, Mean is both a personal story and a larger statement about sexual violence.

Prompt: What becomes amplified in Mean?

• Select a quote or passage from the memoir to discuss (include page numbers).
• Write a reflection or analysis based on your quote/passage that addresses the following questions:
  • Why did you select that particular quote/passage? *
  • Does the book live up to its name, ‘Mean’? How does the author activate or animate “mean”?
  • What do you think of the author’s writing style?
  • What questions or insights does this book raise for