Captivated by Movies
Project Write Now is excited to announce a new addition to our pool of instructors. Ray Brunt has been around Project Write Now for a while now, participating in events such as our Visiting Writers Series and Voices & Verse. Ray received his MFA in Fiction from Sierra Nevada College in 2017. This fall, he is teaching Emerging Writers on Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m. Our Writers Institute community manager, Elizabeth Jannuzzi, sat down with Ray to get to know him better.
Liz: Hi Ray! How was your summer?
Ray: Great! I caught up on some reading I’ve wanted to do. I guess that’s the benefit of so much rain, right? I also took a class at The Writers Studio in New York. I think it’s good to see what various writers programs are up to. I look forward to sharing ideas I’ve picked up with students in the EW class.
Liz: Would you share with us some of what you’ve read this summer?
Ray: Sure. I’ve gone back to catch up on some memoirs I’ve wanted to read or revisit such as Joan Didion’s Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Patti Smith’s Just Kids, and also her more recent, M Train. I always try to read from short story collections, as well. I just re-read J.D. Salinger’s Nine Short Stories, and also read an amazing collection by Miranda July, No One Belongs Here More Than You.
Liz: You are teaching a class this fall at Project Write Now and you are also on our board. Why Project Write Now?
Ray: I’ve been interested in what Project Write Now has been up to for some time. After attending many different events and discussing the organization with the founders, I felt this was a group that was committed to doing great things for the community. My love of writing and my previous board and business experience just seemed to be a perfect fit.
Liz: What can your students expect from your teaching style?
Ray: First and foremost, I want this class to be fun. If you’re not enjoying class, if you’re not looking forward to coming, then something is wrong. I want to make it interesting for everyone at all levels and provide encouragement and ways for everyone to advance what it is they are trying to do. There will be some writing exercises, reading assignments, workshopping, as well as brief lectures and discussions about what makes for great storytelling.
Liz: You are working on a series of linked short stories. How is your project coming?
Ray: It’s a work in progress. I’ve got about a dozen stories teed up, but I still have more editing to do and decisions to make. I’m hoping to get one or more of the stories published in the next year or so.
Liz: Tell us something about yourself that your students would be surprised to learn.
Ray: I won an award in high school for the best short story by a high school student in New Jersey and was too embarrassed to go to the awards ceremony.
Liz: Oh no! We are glad you’ve gotten over your shyness to help lead fellow writers on their writing journeys. See you around the Studio!
Find out more about Ray’s class, Emerging Writers.
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