Week 10: Ernesto Quinonez’s Bodega Dreams, Part 2

General Announcements:

• Lehman’s Pre-Graduate Advising Office offers workshops on the graduate school application process and has drop-in hours each week via Zoom. Their October 26 event “What Does it Take to Get into Graduate School” is highly recommended–especially if you haven’t thought about it. Details at their site
• See the Board of Elections site for info on voting early or to submit an absentee ballot to avoid voting in person.

Highlights from week 9:

• Finished the first half of Quiñonez’s Bodega Dreams
  
• See my lecture notes on Bodega Dreams on the Lecture Notes page
• Audio from previous classes is on the Zoom archive page
• Music: Marvin Gaye “Trouble Man” (YouTube); Stevie Wonder “Living for the City” (YouTube)
• Audio lecture notes on first half of Bodega Dreams (25 minutes) can be streamed on Soundcloud
• Additional resource (Not assigned): Dr. Johanna Fernandez’s book on the history of the Young Lords
• Additional resource (Not assigned): Iris Morales’s documentary film Palante, Siempre Palante! (YouTube)
• Additional resource (Not assigned): Palante photos and essay book on the Young Lords

DO THIS for week 10–Wednesday November 1:

NOTE: You need the book Bodega Dreams for this week’s assignment. PDFs of assigned books will not be posted!

FINISH the second half of Bodega Dreams: approx. page 108-end of book. (About 105 pages, total)

Do the following for background/context on the Willie Bodega character, who is a former Young Lord (note: he is a fictional character!)

READ the 13-point program of the Young Lords Party. (one page)

WATCH this short documentary on the Young Lords. (This is the same one I streamed in Thursday’s Zoom sessions.)

RESPOND to the questions at the bottom of this post and DISCUSS them with classmates and myself using the comment field on this post. (Scroll all the way to the bottom after the sharing buttons to see the comment field.)

OPTIONAL–LISTEN to my 15 minute lecture on the second half of Bodega Dreams embedded below via Soundcloud to guide your reading.

If you keep up with the weekly reading and take good notes, then you’ll be well prepared for the final exam and get much more out of the class!

A few things to pay attention to in the book are:

• What are the key themes of the book? Mark specific examples of them in the text.
• How do characters develop. What changes do you see? Are there any surprising changes? Again, note specific examples in the text.
• What seem to be key turns of the plot?
• How does Quiñonez present urban space and the urban experience?
• How do different characters view the neighborhood that they live in and does this change over time?
• How does Quiñonez place other writers in the book?
• What is the role of culture?
• Compare Chino as a character at the beginning and end of the book. What changes (if any) do we see?
• What is the state of Bodega’s dream for the neighborhood at the end of the book? Is it dead or do you see hope for El Barrio?

Highlight or underline key points in the text. Write down notes as you read. Write down questions of things you don’t understand for us to answer in class.

What’s next?

Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones’s) play Dutchman. As of this writing, the NYPL has 2 physical copies for grab-and-go service. Note that the physical copies take a week (or longer) to be ready for pickup. Reserve one now if you want it to arrive in time!

If you keep up with the weekly reading and take good notes, then you’ll be well prepared for the midterm and final exam and get much more out of the class!

Comments on posts:

You’ll notice the “Let’s Talk” button is below. Here’s how it’ll work: you can use this to discuss points raised here.  A few points:

• Your first comment will have to be approved by me: after that, you can comment without approval
• Comments section will only be open to enrolled students
• You have to leave your name (enter as first name and last initial only) so a) I can make sure only people in the class are commenting and b) you get credit for the comment
• Remember to be respectful, especially when responding to classmates
• The comments section closes 14 days after a post goes live

To ‘participate’ in the class, I’d like to see everyone 1) post a substantive comment of their own based on either the reading or my lecture using some of the questions raised or conversation prompts, and 2) to respond thoughtfully to someone else’s comment—not just agree/disagree, but add on evidence or ask a follow-up question. You can also ask a question–for me or others–but that doesn’t count toward your comment and reply needed for the grade. It’s fine with me if conversation continues in a thread as long as it does, but two responses showing a clear engagement with the reading will count for being ‘present.’ Does that make sense? You have 14 days to write those two comments for credit.

 

Week 9: Ernesto Quinonez’s Bodega Dreams, Part 1

General Announcements:

• Lehman’s Pre-Graduate Advising Office offers workshops on the graduate school application process and has drop-in hours each week via Zoom. Their October 26 event “What Does it Take to Get into Graduate School” is highly recommended–especially if you haven’t thought about it. Details at their site
• Job opportunity: The NYC Board of Elections hires poll workers for every election. Pay is decent. Details here.
• Also, see the Board of Elections site for info on voting early or to submit an absentee ballot to avoid voting in person.

Course Announcements:

• Our next book is Ernesto Quiñonez’s Bodega Dreams. The NY Public Library has several eBook and physical copies of available to borrow and it’s on reserve in Lehman’s library.
• See the FAQ page for quick answers to common questions about the course. The audio tour of the website is now there, too.
• Prof. Williams Zoom live chat hours: Monday/Wednesday from 4-5 PM! on Zoom here. Or call: +1 929 205 6099 then add meeting ID: 528 450 5381

Highlights from Week 8–October 18th:

• Finished Miguel Piñero’s play Short Eyes.
• See my lecture notes on Piñero on the Lecture Notes page
• Audio from class on the Archive page
• Zoom music: Ice T “The Tower” (YouTube); Archie Shepp “Attica Blues” (YouTube)

DO THIS for week 9–Wednesday October 24:

READ up to page 107/ Book 2/ Round 3 in Bodega Dreams. (NOTE: Quiñonez somewhat confusingly calls chapters “rounds” and there’s a “Book 1” and “Book 2,” both with separate chapters/rounds. Just finish the first half to page 107.)

RESPOND to the questions at the bottom of this post and DISCUSS them with classmates and myself using the comment field on this post. (Scroll all the way to the bottom after the sharing buttons to see the comment field.)

WATCH this short documentary film on the Young Lords embedded below via YouTube. (6 minutes.) Use this as context. Think about how being a (fictional member of the) Young Lords affects the thinking of the Willie Bodega character in Bodega Dreams.

OPTIONAL–LISTEN to my lecture on the first half of Bodega Dreams embedded below via Soundcloud.

If you keep up with the weekly reading and take good notes, then you’ll be well prepared for the midterm and final exam and get much more out of the class!

A few things to pay attention to in the book are:

• Think in terms of Form, Content, and Context
  • Story structure, writing style/ What happens (plot), theme(s), characters and character/plot development/ What can we connect it to?
• What themes can you identify? What passages of the book do you see them in?
• The characters Quiñonez creates and what slice of city life they show
• How urban space is shown in the book and what different characters think about their surroundings
• The role of culture and what it means
• Quiñonez’s relationship as a writer to Pietri and Piñero (there are numerous references to both and their poetry throughout the book)
• The “American Dream” and what it means to the characters in the book
• How different generations of immigrants/migrants relate to the city and city life
• Race and gender relations

Highlight or underline key points in the text. Write down notes as you read. Write down questions of things you don’t understand for us to answer in class.

What’s next?

Finish Ernesto Quiñonez’s Bodega Dreams. After we finish Bodega Dreams we move to Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones’s) play Dutchman. As of this writing, CUNY looks to have at least one e-book online and the NYPL has 2 physical copies for grab-and-go service. Note that the physical copies take a week (or longer) to be ready for pickup. Reserve one now if you want it to arrive in time!

Comments on posts:

You’ll notice the “Let’s Talk” button is below. Here’s how it’ll work: you can use this to discuss points raised here.  A few points:

• Your first comment will have to be approved by me: after that, you can comment without approval
• Comments section will only be open to enrolled students
• You have to leave your name (enter as first name and last initial only) so a) I can make sure only people in the class are commenting and b) you get credit for the comment
• Remember to be respectful, especially when responding to classmates
• The comments section closes 14 days after a post goes live

To ‘participate’ in the class, I’d like to see everyone 1) post a substantive comment of their own based on either the reading or my lecture using some of the questions raised or conversation prompts, and 2) to respond thoughtfully to someone else’s comment—not just agree/disagree, but add on evidence or ask a follow-up question. You can also ask a question–for me or others–but that doesn’t count toward your comment and reply needed for the grade. It’s fine with me if conversation continues in a thread as long as it does, but two responses showing a clear engagement with the reading will count for being ‘present.’ Does that make sense? You have 14 days to write those two comments for credit.

Week 8: Miguel Pinero’s Drama–Short Eyes

 

Still photo from the filmed version of Miguel Pinero’s play Short Eyes

General Announcements:

• Lehman’s Pre-Graduate Advising Office offers workshops on the graduate school application process and has drop-in hours each week via Zoom. They have an event “What Does it Take to Get into Graduate School” that’s highly recommended–especially if you haven’t thought about it. Details at their site

Course Announcements:

• KEEP working on the first written assignment due Tuesday 10/18 at 11:59 PM EST! See the Assignments page for it. Read the assignment sheet thoroughly and make sure you understand what I’m asking. Listen to the 5-minute guide to how to write the assignment embedded on the same page. There are no trick questions here: I’m looking for exactly what’s on there. Now is also the time to schedule time with Lehman’s ACE Center (operating online) if you’re not totally confident about your writing ability. Also see the resources on the assignments page for some quick MLA formatting tips.
• Our next book is Ernesto Quiñonez’s Bodega Dreams. The NY Public Library has several eBook and physical copies of available to borrow and it’s on reserve in Lehman’s library.
• See the FAQ page for quick answers to common questions about the course. The audio tour of the website is now there, too.
• Prof. Williams Zoom live chat hours: Monday/Wednesday from 4-5 PM! on Zoom here. Or call: +1 929 205 6099 then add meeting ID: 528 450 5381

Highlights from week 7: October 11:

• Finished Miguel Piñero’s poetry with a focus on “A Lower East Side Poem,” “The Lower East Side is Taking …,” and “Kill, KIll, Kill”
• See my lecture notes on Piñero on the Lecture Notes page
• Class audio on the Archive page
• Piñero link: reading “Seeking the Cause” (along with Miguel Algarín) in Fried Shoes, Cooked Diamonds (YouTube
• Piñero link: reading “A Lower East Side Poem”  and ad-libbed commentary in an informal reading (YouTube)
• Nuyorican Poets Café and L.E.S. tour by Miguel Algarín (YouTube)
• Zoom music: animated Google Doodle of Tito Puente!

DO THIS for week 8–October 18:

NOTE: You need the book Outlaw for this week’s assignment. PDFs of assigned books will not be posted!

READ the Introduction to the drama of Miguel Piñero at the beginning of the book Outlaw: the Collected Works of Miguel Piñero and ALL of Piñero’s play Short Eyes

• Pay special attention to the scene where Clark confides in Juan (pp. 228-233) and the last 3 pages of the play.

Watch the 15-minute clip from the filmed version of Short Eyes embedded below.

RESPOND to the questions at the bottom of this post and DISCUSS them with classmates and myself using the comment field on this post. (Scroll all the way to the bottom after the sharing buttons to see the comment field.)

OPTIONAL–LISTEN to my lecture on Miguel Piñero’s Short Eyes, embedded below via Soundcloud.

If you keep up with the weekly reading and take good notes, then you’ll be well prepared for the midterm and final exam and get much more out of the class!

Questions to think about to guide your reading and discuss on the board below:

• Think in terms of Form, Content, and Context
• Based on Piñero’s biographical story, how do/don’t his stories match the life he’s living?
• What are some of the key themes the play deals with?
• Identify key points of the play where the storyline (plot) turns or changes. Mark significant points where this happens in your book and write them down in your notes. What causes the plot turns and how might actors on stage make them believable?
• Pay special attention Juan’s character. What function do you think he serves in the play?
• Is the decision the inmates make at the end of the play with Clark Davis correct? Why or why not?
• Do the inmates seem to have a sense of morality or a code they follow?
• How does Piñero critique racial divisions and the role of guards in the detention center?

Highlight or underline key points in the text. Write down notes as you read. Write down questions of things you don’t understand for us to answer in class.

What’s next?

Ernesto Quiñonez’s Bodega Dreams. As of this writing, the NY Public Library has  eBook and physical copies available to borrow. Note that the physical copies can take a week to be ready for pickup.

Comments on posts:

You’ll notice the “Let’s Talk” button is below. Here’s how it’ll work: you can use this to discuss points raised here.  A few points:

• Your first comment will have to be approved by me: after that, you can comment without approval
• Comments section will only be open to enrolled students
• You have to leave your name (enter as first name and last initial only) so a) I can make sure only people in the class are commenting and b) you get credit for the comment
• Remember to be respectful, especially when responding to classmates
• The comments section closes 14 days after a post goes live

To ‘participate’ in the class, I’d like to see everyone 1) post a substantive comment of their own based on either the reading or my lecture using some of the questions raised or conversation prompts, and 2) to respond thoughtfully to someone else’s comment—not just agree/disagree, but add on evidence or ask a follow-up question. You can also ask a question–for me or others–but that doesn’t count toward your comment and reply needed for the grade. It’s fine with me if conversation continues in a thread as long as it does, but two responses showing a clear engagement with the reading will count for being ‘present.’ Does that make sense? You have 14 days to write those two comments for credit.