Food Writing Class: Finding Your Voice with Shauna James Ahern

ONE-NIGHT VIRTUAL CLASS
Finding Your Voice with Shauna James Ahern
Monday, November 2nd from 8:45 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. EST
Fee: $85.00

This class is closed. It will be offered again in winter 2010.

Have you ever watched a talented cook at work in the kitchen? There’s a surety in her hands, an economy of movement that makes the finished dish a pleasure to eat. Each chef has his own style—Asian fusion flavors, rustic meats, or vegan haute cuisine—but each has that calm confidence with the food.

Talented food writers have that same ease, and it comes out in the words. Good writing feels deceptively simple, the sentences following one after another. Beneath the surface lies years of experience, an imagination at work, and one word choice after another to build a consistent voice.

Finding your voice will lead your readers to good food and shared meals. Voice is more than word choice, sentence construction, and punctuation, although those are important elements. Your voice conveys your personality, your decisions, and your biases that make you interesting to the reader. Think of this: would you rather share a kitchen with Anthony Bourdain or Laurie Colwin? Jeffrey Steingarten or Ruth Reichl? If you knew which writer with whom you’d like to chop onions, it’s probably because you like his or her voice.

What this class will do for you Finding your voice in food writing is both difficult and rewarding. In this interactive class, you’ll learn practices to make your voice more authentic, including how to:

• Study and discuss the clear voices of other food writers before us
• Consider sentence structure as a means to telling a story
• Think about sentences as sound instead of merely means to an end
• Hone in on sensory details to share story and a sense of self
• Convey taste without using the words yum, delicious, tasty, or savory
• Listen to ourselves tell stories instead of trying to sound like someone else
• Wake up to small details that create a scene

The class will consist of a lecture—including readings from numerous food writers—as well as an extensive question and answer period. Handouts will include examples of food writing with a clear voice, as well as suggestions for how to continue the work of the class once we hang up the phone.

Why this class is right for you You have spent your life wondering what is for lunch the next day, because you already have today’s meals planned. You love recounting the story of your favorite meals to friends and find yourself wishing you could eat them again. You have started a blog about pie or write only status updates about dinner on Twitter. You love food and you love to write. Whether you want to find your voice to write cookbooks or essays, or you simply want to learn how to write letters to loved ones about the taste of tomatoes in season, this class will help you find your voice.

How this class works You don’t even have to leave home. On Monday, November 2nd at 8:45 p.m. EST/5:45 p.m. PST, we’ll convene by telephone for a 2 1/2 hour conference call comprising both lecture and discussion. A private podcast of this class, available only to participants, will be posted online for one month at no additional cost.

Who the instructor is Shauna James Ahern is the author of a food memoir called Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back…And How You Can Too (Wiley, 2007) with a second book, a cookbook titled In the Kitchen with the Chef, due to be released in 2010. Her food blog, Gluten-Free Girl, has a dedicated following and has garnered praise for its stories, recipes, and photographs. She has been published in major magazines such as Martha Stewart Living, and her work has been mentioned in The New York Times, Self, and Reuters. The London Times named Gluten-Free Girl one of the 50 best food blogs in the world, and Gourmet.com named it one of their favorite food websites. Shauna has taught writing to students of all ages for nearly two decades, and she loves the work.

If you have any questions, please contact us at enroll@leitesculinaria.com.