How to Become an Engaging & Dynamic Reader of Your Written Work and Wow Your Audience

This workshop is for anyone who wants to learn (and practice) reading the written word aloud (whether your own or that of others), with power, flair, and dynamism!

Join Straw Dog Writers Guild on Wednesday, September 13, 6:00 – 8:00 pm for How to Become an Engaging & Dynamic Reader of Your Written Work and Wow Your Audience (The Four P’s), a craft workshop with Joy Baglio of Pioneer Valley Writers Workshop.

The skill of engaging an audience (or listener) and keeping them on the edge of their seat is a completely different one from that of the writing itself, yet it’s also one that most of us will use at some point in our lives, and as such a sense of confidence, comfort, and attention to what I’ve begun calling The Four P’s can go a long way. The Four P’s are the essential tools we use when reading anything aloud, tools that we can look at, understand, and practice, thus gaining comfort and confidence as readers of written work. They are 1) Projection (or volume, voice modulation), 2) Pathos (or the feeling we bring to what we read, our sense of expression), 3) Pacing (the power of speeding up and slowing down), and 4) Posture (everything from how you’re standing, body language, gestures, and eye contact). Through lecture and discussion, we’ll break down each of these elements; then, we’ll use short example texts (as well as our own) to practice each element while reading aloud – in pairs, small groups, and eventually (for those who’d like to) in front of the larger group. Whether you’re about to embark on a book tour, are a regular at open mics, or read Harry Potter aloud to your kids every night, this workshop aims to give useful, practical tips that will increase your confidence and power as a reader of your own (or any) written work. This workshop is for writers of all levels / genres and may also be of interest to teachers, parents, care-givers, or anyone who reads aloud to others regularly! Optional: If there is a particular text or a piece of your original writing you’d like to practice reading aloud, have the first paragraph of that on hand during the workshop.

To register for this free workshop on Zoom, click HERE.

Joy Baglio is a Northampton MA-based fiction writer and the founder / director of the literary arts organization Pioneer Valley Writers’ Workshop, where she frequently teaches and hosts readings and events. Her short stories have appeared widely, in journals such as? The Missouri Review, ?American Short Fiction, Conjunctions, ?Tin House, The Iowa Review, Gulf Coast, TriQuarterly, Fairy Tale Review, and elsewhere. Recent honors include fellowships, scholarships, residencies, and/or grants from Yaddo, The Elizabeth George Foundation, Ragdale, The Speculative Literature Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, Bread Loaf Writers’ and Sewanee Writers’ Conferences, and The Kerouac Project. Joy holds an MFA from The New School and is a contributing editor at the literary magazine West Branch. She is at work on two novels and a short story collection and is represented by Peter Steinberg at United Talent Agency (UTA). Joy loves reading any text aloud and is currently in the middle of a family read-through of all the Harry Potter books, wherein she voices all the characters. Find her online at www.JoyBaglio.com and www.PioneerValleyWriters.com