The Time of Your Life: Masterclass with Brian Nellist and Jane Davis
Wednesday 18th August 2010
10.30am - 3.30pm
19 Abercromby Square, Liverpool, L69 7ZG
£30 - including lunch and refreshments
Come along to this Masterclass double-bill and spend time reading with two very special TRO Masters: Brian Nellist and Jane Davis! In the morning, Brian Nellist looks at Wordsworth’s poem ‘Tintern Abbey’ and considers whether we can breathe new life into happy memories and re-live our best times.
And now, with gleams of half-extinguished thought,
With many recognitions dim and faint,
And somewhat of a sad perplexity,
The picture of the mind revives again:
While here I stand, not only with the sense
Of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts
That in this moment there is life and food
For future years. And so I dare to hope,
Though changed, no doubt, from what I was when first
I came among these hills
Then after lunch, Jane Davis leads a session on Stuart: A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters, a great modern parallel of Wordsworth’s thinking. This is the extraordinary true story of Stuart Shorter – thief, hostage-taker and street raconteur – told backwards in time: from the man he was when Alexander Masters met him to the ‘happy-go-lucky little boy’ of twelve. We recommend you read both before attending the day but extracts from the novel will be provided in the afternoon.
Masterclass Course Aims
Maintaining regular contact between the growing number of practising Get Into Reading facilitators is very important to The Reader Organisation. The Masterclass is an opportunity to keep facilitators up-to-date with the latest GIR practice, to polish reading and facilitation techniques, and to share good ideas face to face. Facilitators are encouraged to attend as many of the courses are they wish, but it is strongly advised to complete at least one half-day school every two years.
Each class will focus on a particular theme, situation or author that will be of particular use to practicing GIR facilitators. One Masterclass could delve into the reality of reading in prisons, whilst another could discuss how to tackle the work of Thomas Hardy. We welcome suggestions on themes to be investigated in depth in these sessions, as they firmly based on the needs of GIR facilitators.
Comments on on Brian Nellist's Masterclass, April 2009:
‘Immensely good and nourishing.'
‘Brian at his best!'
'A chance to be taken through an unfamiliar poem by someone who has such skill and enthusiasm.'
Please contact Mark Till, GIR Training Programme Assistant: readtolead@thereader.org.uk ( 0151 794 2286 ) with any such suggestions, or questions concerning the Masterclass.
Booking
To book your place on this Masterclass, please download the booking form: PDF / Word.
Costs
Attendance on the half-day school costs £30, including lunch and refreshments, to be paid in advance. There is a concessionary rate of £15 for Get Into Reading group members.
Upcoming Masterclass Courses
Wednesday 18th August 2010, Liverpool - 'The Time of Your Life', with Brian Nellist and Jane Davis
Previous Masterclass Course
2nd June 2010, Liverpool - 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy', with Josie Billington
15th April 2010, Liverpool - 'Lycidas', with Brian Nellist
16th February 2010, Liverpool - 'Middlemarch by George Eliot', with Jane Davis
4th November 2009, Liverpool - 'Tennyson’s In Memoriam', with Clare Williams
25th August 2009, Liverpool - 'Gilead by Marilynne Robinson', with Jane Davis
17th June 2009, Liverpool - 'Poems that Pack a Punch', with Kate McDonnell
7th April 2009, Liverpool - 'Book One of The Excursion by William Wordsworth', with Brian Nellist