How to Make a Literary Quilt

Research and Multimedia Presentation Skills

For your second semester project in English you will be studying an author of literary merit and
presenting information to the class about the author and his/her work. You will study the author’s work(s),
searching for connections between the piece(s) and connections to the author’s own life. The purpose of
this assignment is to:

1) Explore an author and his/her work(s) in depth. Class time is short, so this is your
opportunity to really get to know your chosen author.
2) Demonstrate your ability to research and guide your own learning process.
3) Develop your ability to present information in a multimedia format while educating and
entertaining an audience.

Choose one of the following authors and read their literary work(s) in the textbook. No one will research
the same author.

From Depression to Cold War: 1930s-1960s

John Steinbeck p. 866 Eudora Welty p. 888 Richard Wright p. 899
E.B. White p. 928 Gwendolyn Brooks p. 937 Flannery O’ Connor p. 913
Bernard Malamud p. 942 Elie Wiesel p. 981 Garrett Hongo p. 993
Art Spiegelman p. 998 Tomas Rivera p. 1017

Into the 21st Century

David Wagoner p. 1147
Tran Mong Tu p. 1186
Bob Dylan p. 1202
Theodore Roethke p. 1222
Ursula K. Le Guin p. 1239
Raymond Carver p. 1274
Judith Ortiz Cofer p. 1149
Pin Yathay . 1187
Anne Sexton p. 1208
Sylvia Plath p. 1226
Julia Alvarez p. 1253
Judith Ortiz Cofer p. 1282
Tim O’ Brien p. 1181
W.S. Merwin p. 1192
Elizabeth Bishop p. 1214
Stanley Kunitz p. 1232
Louise Gluck p. 1257
Naomi Shihab Nye p. 1286

After you’ve read the work(s), research the author’s life and identify any connections between the
biographical information and the author’s work(s). For example, perhaps your author grew up in a small
Midwestern town and the settings of all his/her works are small Midwestern towns. Look for references or
allusions to important historical events or people. Perhaps characters in his/her work are based on
prominent people in the author’s life. These things will not always be obvious, so it is important to
understand the works and the author’s life well in order to find these connections and determine their
relevance.

Your presentation should be ten minutes long. Use either PowerPoint® or Prezi. I will be looking for all
the following in your presentation:
· Slides organized with titles and headings
· Readable fonts (both style and color)
· Elements of design

Quilting with Literature: Internet Research and Multi-Media Presentation Skills in English
 o Not packed with text
o Balanced use of “white” space
· Graphics need to be authentic (example: photos, illustrations, charts, etc.) Avoid clip-art.
· Transitions and animations are smooth and don’t distract audience
· Title page
· Images and/or artifacts which represent the author and his/her works
· Include the author’s name
· Briefly summarize the work(s) covered, but keep the summaries short and relevant to the other
parts of your presentation.
· Discuss trends/tendencies in the author’s life and his/her work
· Characters
· Writing style; language use
· Settings
· Themes
· Symbols
· Any other connections or similarities you might find
· Explore any connections between the author’s life and his/her works.

Presentations are due mid-May; however, the exact dates have not yet been chosen. Presentations will be
graded on content, creativity, organization and presentation style.

Quilting with Literature: Internet Research and Multi-Media Presentation Skills in English