December 4, 2012 – HANNAH TINTI

I’m thrilled to announce that next February, I’ll be teaching a creative writing class at the American Museum of Natural History, exploring their world-famous exhibits and exquisite dioramas with the written word.

Natural History museums began with curiosity cabinets (Wunderkammer)—small closets or boxes in a person’s home, full of items they personally collected—bird nests, a snake skin, or a coin from China. The owners of these cabinets acted as museum curators: what they chose to go into the cabinets reflected who they were—just as everything we put into our own writing reflects us. Over the years, I’ve often used the American Museum of Natural History as a resource for my own stories and novels, and am extremely excited to share my expertise, as well as my nerdy enthusiasm for all things AMNH, with a group of ready students.

This five-session class will take place entirely at the American Museum of Natural History (located on 81st street & Central Park West in New York City) and meet once a week, every Tuesday, from Feb. 5th-March 5th, 6-8:30 pm. The class will also be held after hours—so we will have the unique opportunity to roam the halls free of crowds. Who knows what magical things might happen? (Think Night at the Museum, but with writers). Each class will be held in a different gallery. We will read excerpts of works by naturalists such as Theodore Roosevelt, as well as literary figures who incorporate the natural world into their fiction and poetry. But the main focus of this course will be to unleash your imagination, drawing on the exhibits for on-site writing exercises. I will also give craft lectures that examine the elements of creative writing, including setting, description and point of view, so that each student leaves with a strengthened grounding of the basics. Notebook, pen, and ability to write on the spot required. This class is open to the public and all writing levels, but space will also be limited, so please sign up early–we are expecting it to sell out quickly. Pricing and further information can be found here.

Update: the AMNH Registration link is now working. Just click “Buy tickets.”

**UPDATE: THIS CLASS IS NOW SOLD OUT. If you’d like to be put on the waiting list, email the “Tickets” dept at AMNH.

This week’s Selected Shorts features two stories that explore the place of objects in our lives: “Counting the Ways” by Susan Perabo, performed by Robert Sean Leonard, and “The Pony Problem” by Sloane Crosley, read by Kirsten Vangsness. Robert Sean Leonard joined me as co-host for this show, and had many interesting things to say about “Counting the Ways,” which follows a young couple who purchase something wild: a dress worn by Princess Diana. After Diana’s death, the dress begins to alter their marriage, and their lives. It was great to peek behind the curtain with Robert Sean Leonard and hear what it’s like to perform a story for Selected Shorts on stage. In our extended interview, we talk about the magic of reading work aloud, Robert’s favorite novel (Walker Percy’s The Moviegoer) and how books allow us to “swim around inside the soul of another person.” To hear the full program, including the readings of these two stories, as well as a personal introduction by Sloane Crosley for her piece, “The Pony Problem,” go to the Selected Shorts website or WNYC to download a free podcast, or listen the old-fashioned way, on your local public radio station. For my extended interview with Robert Sean Leonard, simply click on the link below (best enjoyed after listening to the stories, as there are a few spoilers in our chat).
Robert Sean Leonard on talismans & swimming inside another person’s soul:

Archive: Day: December 4, 2012

Writing Class at the Museum of Natural History

Selected Shorts: Objects of Desire