Reading Groups: Chet’la Sebree
A discussion thread for Chet'la Sebree’s "Field Study"
Dear Readers,
Guided Poetry Book Groups are my new offering: facilitated sessions for committed poetry readers and writers who wish to engage in a practice of reading more deeply, creatively, and intentionally.
Each month, I guide small groups through a close reading of a current book of poetry—books that are overlooked and underrated; books that have something important to tell us about what it is to be alive today.
This brief post is a catalyst for discussion for Chet'la Sebree’s "Field Study.” This thread is a place for members of the reading group to answer the questions I’ve posed and to pose questions of their own. And though it’s intended for members of the reading group, I welcome comments from anyone committed to a deeper, more intentional reading of this important book.
I’m including a few reflections below to kick us off.
I’m going to announce the next round of reading groups in late October. Send me an email if you’d like to be notified when registration opens for the January 2023 cycle.
Sean
Chet’la Sebree’s Field Study uses many threads and themes to make its meanings. To list a few: Sally Hemings, acts of creation and destruction, the concept of muses, Kerry Washington’s character Olivia Pope in Scandal, and the process of doing a “field study.”
How can desire be an intensely personal issue, but also a manifestation of collective experience?
What are some ways Sebree dissects or expands the idea of desire?
How does form mirror content in this book?
Discuss.