Arrangement
Title(s)
Theme(s)
Purpose(s)

After the teacher asked if anyone had

a sacred place

and the students fidgeted and shrank

in their chairs, the most serious of them all
said it was his car,

being in it alone, his tape deck playing

things he’d chosen, and others knew the truth
had been spoken
and began speaking about their rooms,

their hiding places, but the car kept coming up,

the car in motion,

music filling it, and sometimes one other person

who understood the bright altar of the dashboard

and how far away

a car could take you from the need

to speak, or to answer, the key

in having a key

and putting it in, and going.

One person’s sacred space may be far different from another’s–for example, one person may feel a sense of awe in visiting Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, while another may experience a similar emotion in visiting Emily Dickinson’s house in Amherst, Massachusetts. But sacred places need not be public sites. They can be places we privately consider sacred–where we go for solace, serenity, transcendence, or perhaps sheer isolation from the world.

Read Stephen Dunn’s “The Sacred.” And then think of your own sacred space, a place that has the beauty, and mystery of a poem. Perhaps it is a place where you achieved an epiphany. Describe your own sacred space(s). Why is this your sacred place? Have you ever photographed this place? What part of the sacred space would you photograph if you had to choose?

DATE: April 16, 2008

Description: Describe book cover, explain the various elements: image, text, color, font, any other details like blurbs, barcodes, etc. How did you decide on this design? Why this design? How do you think the design will make readers want to read the book? What themes from the text are you using in your design? BE SPECIFIC!

Group Dynamics: How has the collaborative effort worked? Were specific roles assigned to group members or did you collaborate on everything? Explain how this worked. In what ways have the group members contributed?

Process: Briefly describe the process of designing the book cover. Did you start with theme, with image, with color, with metaphor? Where did you go from there? How did you make your ideas come to life?

Other: Mention any particular challenges or successes you faced with this project. Or anything else you’d like me to know.

In your book cover groups, create a mock-up of your book cover using the materials available to you. This mock up is a draft of your book cover and if you realize you don’t like certain elements or prefer a different layout, you will be able to make those changes for your final version due April 21.

You can use the printer to print certain images just be sure that when you go to print that you select the printer that reads like a website such as//cas.

These mock-ups will be turned in on Wednesday along with a MEMO you will write in class as a group.

Remember your Book Covers are Due Next Monday, April 21 2008.

Groups so far: Christina, Jamey, Kevin, Katie
Megan, Sam, Victoria
Marcus, Keely
Robert, Chris, Ed
Jovana, Saoirse, Lorraine, Krista

For Monday while you read:

Mark significant or interesting quotes and passages from either the frame story or the novel beginnings to add to the Passages post.

Make note of any inconsistencies, disappointments or successes and delights throughout the text.

Pay Attention to imagery, symbols, themes, etc. that seem to recur throughout the text.

For the sake of simplicity, let’s refer to each of these openings as a chapter. On the surface, each chapter seems completely different from all the other “chapters.” However, a closer look reveals that there are themes, ideas, symbols, imagery, etc. that recur from chapter to chapter. In other words, the chapters are not so different as they may first appear. As you continue to read think of the chapters relate to one another. Go beyond focusing on plot connections and concentrate on deeper connections. connections of ideas, symbols, themes, imagery, etc.

Books You Needn’t Read

 Books Made For Purposes Other Than Reading,

Books Read Even Before You Open Them Since They Belong To The Category Of Books Read Before Being Written

Books That If You Had More Than One Life You Would Certainly Also Read But Unfortunately Your Days Are Numbered

Books You Mean To Read But There Are Others You Must Read First

Books Too Expensive Now And You’ll Wait Till They’re Remaindered

 Books ditto When They Come Out In Paperback

Books You Can Borrow From Somebody

Books That Everybody’s Read So It’s As If You Had Read Them, Too

 Books You’ve Been Planning Top Read For Ages

 Books You’ve Been Hunting For Years Without Success

Books Dealing With Something You’re Working On At The Moment

 Books You Want To Own So They’ll Be Handy Just In Case

 Books You Could Put Aside Maybe To Read This Summer

 Books You Need To Go With Other Books On Your Shelves

 Books That Fill You With Sudden, Inexplicable Curiosity, Not Easily Justified

Books Read Long Ago Which It’s Now Time To Reread 

Books You’ve Always Pretended To Have Read And Now It’s Time To Sit Down And Really Read Them

New Books Whose Author Or Subject Appeals To You

New Books by Authors Or On Subjects Not New (for you or in general) 

New Books By Authors Or On Subjects Completely Unknown (at least to you)