THE KITCHEN–an exercise in show or tell

Taught by M. Randal O’Wein

In this afternoon course, we will consider the kitchen from two stylistic vantage points. The first will be a sensory approach where we will consider all the physical details that create a fully inhabited scene. We will focus on how to imbue descriptions with a psychological center. The second, will be a cerebral/expository approach where the mind is in charge of considering the kitchen from the unique, peculiar ways we observe the world intellectually. We will focus on how observation and reflection–the act of turning over, whittling down, deconstructing–performs an individual’s process of discovery for the reader.

Meet the Instructor

M. Randal O’Wain

M. Randal O’Wain is an essayist and fiction writer from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the author of Meander Belt: family, loss, and coming of age in the working-class south (Nebraska, …

More Info

Duke Arts Create is a series of free, hands-on arts workshops designed to help all Duke students, including graduate and professional students (including Duke Health), as well as Duke faculty and staff develop a variety of creative skills in the visual arts, dance and movement, creative writing and more. Workshops are open to all skill levels and backgrounds. Most workshops are held in the Duke Arts Annex, the Rubenstein Arts Center or the Duke Arts Office 2101 and are typically held weeknights from 6-8 p.m.

Registration for the following week’s Duke Arts Create workshops go live on Friday morning at 9 a.m. – sign up in advance to guarantee your spot. Didn’t get a spot? No problem! We always reserve space for walk-ins and waitlist registers. Email DukeCreate@duke.edu if you have any questions. Sign up for the monthly newsletter here, which includes the full list of classes offered during the following month.

Duke Arts Create is sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts (Duke Arts).