Elizabeth DeSchryver will lead a discussion of John Steinbeck's essay My War with the Ospreys, originally published in 1957.
“My war with the ospreys, like most wars, was largely accidental and had a tendency to spread in unforeseen directions…. Spring may open new hostilities, although I can find in my heart to wish for peace and even friendship, I hope the ospreys, wherever they may be, will read this.”
Thus begins John Steinbeck’s My War with the Ospreys, a piece of writing that is hard to classify. Is it an essay? Creative non-fiction? Autobiographical short story? Whatever we call it, it’s a great study of narrative voice, of how to selectively use real-life details, and of what can happen to even the best of writers when they are desperate for an excuse not to write.
Hosted by: Anne Beall
DOWNLOAD DISCUSSION MATERIALS HERE:
BIO: Elizabeth DeSchryver (Beth) is an award-winning short story author, playwright and poet. Her short plays have been performed throughout the Midwest. Her first full-length play, An Unbuilt Life, had its world premiere at the Washington Stage Guild in April 2024, where it received a Helen Hayes Award Recommendation. Her short stories have been included in three of the OCWW anthologies. A long-time supporter of OCWW, Beth is a member of the Chicago Dramatists Network Playwrights, the Dramatists Guild, and a founding member of the Telling Humans Playwright Studio.
