Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Haley Reading Group 1: Reflections on storytelling



Over the last few months, we read the following stories by Nafissa Thompson-Spires:
• “Belles Lettres”
• "Fatima, the Biloquist: A Transformation Story” 
• “The Body's Defenses Against Itself” 
• "Heads of the Colored People” 
• “Wash Clean the Bones”
• “Whisper to a Scream” 
We primarily offered responses about what happened in her stories, but what's something you learned or considered related to the art of good storytelling as a result of reading the pieces in Thompson-Spires's collection? That is to say, how did the setup, style, tone, language, dialogue, circumstances, or conflicts presented in one of her stories shape your thinking about the possibilities of conveying a narrative in an artful, compelling, or surprising way?  Identify the story by Thompson-Spires that prompted your thinking about the lesson you learned or considered. 

Examples:
• Reading Thompson-Spires made me realize how important a character who defies expectations is to making a story really captivating. I was so drawn into her story "Heads of the Colored People" was because of the unusual protagonist: a black man character who wears blue contact lenses, bleaches his hair, reads authors like Toni Morrison and Ralph Ellison, and does cosplay. --J.D 

• Thompson-Spires's story "Belles Lettres" reminded me that humor is vital to good storytelling. Although it was sad that the two black mothers spoke in such mean ways to each other, the idea of sending letters through their daughters and slyly insulting each other kept me laughing and reading. --O. A.  

51 comments:

Isaiah Jackson said...

I think one of Thompson-Spire's biggest strengths in story telling is the ability to build a rich and detailed scene. I first noticed this when we read Fatima, the Biloquist. Every single object or person that is mentioned has an extra level of detail that I usually don't see in a lot of stories. For example, near the beginning of the story, Fatima goes into a shop at the mall to look for lipstick. The story describes this as "Fatima moped near the Clinique counter with her heavy Discman tucked in a tiny backpack and her headphones wrapped around her neck, trying to decide between one shade of lipstick and another." There is so much detail in that sentence, and the book is packed full of these subtle moments that go on to really make every scene believable.

-Isaiah Jackson

Phoenix Johnson said...

"Belles Lettres" by Thompson-Spires taught me how circumstances and dialogue keeps the story surprising and adds to the tone. The parents arguing through a letter is surprising because they know each other and see each other, but chose to send letters through their daughters who have conflict. The tension is added as more letters are sent and the children's behavior gets worse as well. This made the storytelling more intriguing and surprising because you felt like you were reading real letters and wanted to find out which mother would get a little more disrespectful each letter.

James Taylor said...

When reading Thompson-Spires story “Wash Clean the Bones”. The important lesson to note from the story is the importance of a proper scene. Scene construction in this reading was done pretty well, one could see it, one could almost feel the tension, one could even grasp the hardships of a people they are not. When doing it that way setting it up that way. It helps bridge gaps between various cultures so that human beings can work together better. It is through that understanding of the struggles, change to the healing of peoples can be.

-James Taylor-

Jaydyn Zykan said...

I found Thompson-Spires writing to be profound and her storytelling fully immerses the reader in the scene and emotions as the characters are experiencing them. The story that has continued to stay with me is "Heads of the Colored People." Her way of connecting each of the characters together to a single event made me truly realize how an entire community can feel the impact of one's trauma.

Thomas Siganga said...

To me, what strikes the most in these stories are descriptions. Whether it will be to enhance how a woman is living in a society in Fatime, the Biloquist, or the struggles of raising a child in a different story. It gives a pretty good depiction of what the people in the story are going through as there is no visual aid to give the reader an idea. I would say it enhances walking in the main character's shoes while also giving us more of an idea of the culture throughout the story.


-Thomas Siganga

Alexis S. said...

Thompson-Spires's storytelling reminded me that in order to captivate an audience and keep them interested in reading, means you need to set a good detailed scene with characters that are unique. Thompson-Spires's did a great job with this in many of the stories in the book. My favorite being, "The Body's Defenses Against Itself" as the story explored friendships, regrets, stressors, and the overall impact that those things can have on the body. The style of the story was also set up to switch back and forth between the past and the present, which taught me that the style of a story is also just as important when trying to set a scene and convey a message.

- Alexis S.

EvanCeleste said...

"Whisper to a Scream" didn't really teach me, but reminded me of my own body issues that I had growing up as a black girl in a predominately white school. Children all develop differently, but that time is made even harder when children are unnecessarily cruel and begin to target others. I really felt that the story encompassed those feelings of isolation and self doubt.

unknown said...

Nafissa Thompson’s stories were very thorough, allowing me to conjure up vivid imagery while never once straying from the issue at hand. I believe Thompson’s ability to convey a strong message to the reader while using interesting yet relatable scenarios, was what made the stories worthwhile. My biggest takeaway is that the underlying struggles and traumas ruining the black experience are so deeply rooted in this countries hatred and are pretty much defense mechanisms.
-Ronald Allen

Linda H. said...

Thompson-Spires way of keeping you interested in a story by consistently introducing surprises or humorous elements like in “Belles Lettres". I couldn't put it down because I wanted to know what the mothers would say to each other next. Thompson-Spires has a way of telling stories that from beginning to end the reader has no idea what will happen next. While being entertaining you can also learn a lot because of the deeper meaning the stories contain.

Linda H.

Kenisha Townsend said...

I enjoyed reading Thompson-Spires story "Belles Lettres". I enjoyed how professional yet disrespectful the dialogue was which contributed to the humor in the story. Also, the overall conflict in the story was very applicable to successful black women today. These two elements combined is what kept me reading the story.

Kenisha T.

LaTrina Brown said...

I enjoyed reading both "Fatima the Biloquist" and "Whispers to a Scream". Both stories were packed with details and I loved how Thompson-Spires told the stories. I could relate to both of the stories in very different ways which kept me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed all aspects of both stories.

Samantha A. said...

Reading Thompson-Spires made me consider the stereotypes of African-American hair and how much people are concerned with how it is styled. Talk about it being nappy, being in its natural state, and to it being straightened and shoulder length like addressed in "Belles Lettres" and "Whisper to a Scream" are opinions that make women more self-conscious about their hair. However, Thompson-Spires' best writing technique was being able to create such detailed scenes that makes the reader completely envision the situation and feel like they are there in that moment, which makes the story more compelling.

-Samantha A.

Anonymous said...

Thompson-Spires’ “Heads of the Colored People” stood out to me the most because of the way she set up the flow of the story. She seamlessly transitions from one character to the next, while also challenging all of the reader’s stereotypes toward these characters in a witty and direct way. We see so many shootings and deaths on the news, that we sometimes forget that the people who died were just normal people, and that the media will twist their images to convey their racist black narrative of thugs and hoodlums.

Alexys Williams

Philip Bowen said...

I Enjoyed reading both "Belles Letters and "Whispers to a Scream from Thompson-Spires. She really showcased the different struggles and adversity black women go through in ways that we as readers can relate to or seen before. The author created scenes and moment that made the stories realistic and very entertaining.

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed reading the story about Fatima. I liked it because it was very relatable and captured some realistic ideas about how black women are and how they are perceived. I think that this story was told very well and was able to capture the audience.

I’yauna Brown

Ayo J said...

Reading Thompson-Spires' "Wash Clean the Bones" shaped my ideas and thinking the most because of how she told the story in such a way that it reflects reality, most especially on the news of hate crimes and gun violence on people who belong to the minority groups (such as Black/African-American and Asian). The author's writing techniques helped me to connect the story to real-life scenarios whereby in today's world, the aforementioned minority groups are still being preyed upon in a racially diverse USA. It is so disheartening to keep hearing the news, as it would continue to build up pressure on these minority groups, whom will continue to see themselves as being vulnerable.

Breana B said...

I enjoyed reading all the stories in this book. But one story that stood out to me the most was "Heads of the Colored People." I loved how she set this story up. I like how she included all of the main characters point of view. This made the story dynamic. It gave us a chance to learn about all the main characters. The tone of the story was great to. The build to the climax gave the story a suspenseful element. I like how she made us think. Seeing Riley you would think one thing, but knowing him you would think another. Thompson-Spires did a excellent job with telling this story.

-Breana B.

Kelsey McNeil said...


In "Belles Lettres" I enjoyed how the story was actually written. I had tried to read a book before that was through "letters" or "emails" and it did not keep my attention at all. However, with this specific story, it kept me so interested in the story the entire time. While it was very funny, it was also so interesting to learn more about the relationship between the mothers and their daughters and how they will go to extreme lengths (in this case - insults about one another) in order to defend them.

Kelsey McNeil

Ehriana . C said...

Thompson-Spires "Belles Lettres" was One of the stories that stuck out to me the most. I think the setup of the whole story being the main characters sending letters to each other was really creative. I felt like it gave us more than just the issue of "black women not getting along".

Noah Jones said...

Thompson-Spires' story "Whisper to a Scream" showed me how much more captivating a story could be if it is relatable. I found that the references to YouTube, the use of the screen name "Sir_Pix_Alot," and the talk of ASMR, were all things that I could see happening in my personal life. It also helped me visualize what this may look like in a real situation. I think that made the story pull me in more because it felt like I could have been listening to a real friend of mine tell the story. - Noah Jones

Teighlor Traywick said...


Thompson-Spire illustrated the different worlds that can exist within the black culture. She highlighted this in “Fatima, the Biloquist: A Transformation Story.” She effectively did this by using Fatima as the narrator, but we as the reader understood the place in which Fatima and Violent were coming from. She pushed the reader to think about which character they could related to more, but still sympathize with the other character. It challenges the reader's experiences and perspectives.

Teighlor Traywick

Alliyah M. said...

Thompson-Spire's story "Belles Lettres" taught me that telling a story in a different format than how stories are told most of the time can make a story more intriguing. Telling the story through a series of letters made the story more interesting than if it was told through narration. I also thought the humor in the dialogue between the two mothers made the story a lot more interesting as well and kept a surprise factor to the story to see what outlandish insult they were going to say next.

Samontriona P. said...

I like how Thompson-Spire was able to give so many details and make the stories relatable, specifically to black women. in "Fatima, the Biloquist: A Transformation Story" I love how she made sure to write about conflicts what occur in the black community and how we sometimes see ourselves and others. Also it was interesting to read about Fatima and Violets similarities and differences. The way Violet was teaching Fatima to "learn how to be black" was very interesting in that she was a black woman, but did not really fit the criteria of norm in the black community. It was interesting to read about their interactions.

Brooke Harris said...

I think the Thompson- Spire readings were not only interesting but beneficial. There is no "beating around the bush" with serious topics and really puts into perspective the realities and fears some people face. My favourite story was "Belles Lettres" because I like drama and comedy and both were present while still serving a beneficial message

- Brooke Harris

Anonymous said...

Reading Thompson-Spires made me realize the importance of empathy in their writing. In all the stories I noticed there was always something that endeared me to a character or a situations a character was facing/has caused. Drawing me deeper into the story as a result.
Chris W.

Torian henry said...

I feel that the Thompsoon-Spire readings were very informative and imposed a lot of self reflection on my own behalf. The writing was done in a way that just encouraged me to try to think more deeply about more things.

Torian H.

Anonymous said...

One common theme that I noticed from several of Thompson-Spires' excerpts was that of internal conflict. Their stories always included both the main subject of a story incorporated with how the main character(s) feel/how the issue affects them. It allows me to see the issue from their point of view rather than using my personal view to dictate how they are feeling.

-Ronald A.

Dasmin Whitted said...

Thompson- Spires descriptive and relatable storytelling is really the star of the show. In all of her stories, the audience could relate to police shootings, bullying, or being in a primarily white area. She also is very descriptive. In "Wash Clean the bones", she described each character and scene so precisely. The audience could view the images in their head.

Anonymous said...

I've learned especially from "Heads of the Colored People" that it is really important to be able to tell a story through pieces. Being able to string together bits and pieces of scenes and characters, and being able to switch back and fourth between characters while the reader still understands the concept of the story is a great skill. It's not something I would have every considered an author doing before because the reader may get lost or lose interest but it made the story multi-dimensional.

Jovahna W. 5/1/21

Anonymous said...

Reading these stories by Thompson-Spires made me realize how important it is to have related material somewhere in there. I believe It keeps some people even more interested when they can relate. The dialogue was the best part, you can tell this author really took their time especially in the narrative sense. If i had To choose one story it would be “Belles Lettres”. The fact that the mothers were acting that way was very interesting to me, due to the way they were talking to each other. This was definitely my favorite one.

-Tymera Washington 4/28/21

Anonymous said...

I feel disgusted. I did not like how mom did not believe Raina! How are children supposed to feel safe in this world if they are not protected from these traumatizing things happening to them! She needed that support. She should not have implied that she might have done something to provoke the act. Too many times is that asked to the victim. On another note, I did like how her mom was concerned with the image of herself she was putting out to the world, showing some care.

Rotrisha Epps, 4/28/21

Anonymous said...

Thompson-Spire’s storytelling was what got me thinking while reading these stories. The way the writing was descriptive and relatable at the same time was captivating and really kept me engaged. It made me feel like I was immersed in the stories by how she set the scenes.

-Kenyon Davis, 5/3/21

Justin Jubert said...

I enjoyed reading a lot of the stories by Thompson-Spires. The storytelling was captivating and allowed me to learn more about myself as well as society as a whole. I connected with "Whispers to a Scream". This story spoke to me as an African American growing up in the United States and it showed a lot of the shared experiences I face with other black Americans. -JJ

Anonymous said...

I believe that her ability to narrate is very rich and captivating. Her style is easy to read and her story elements are very relatable. she did not express extravagance, but she made the story truly interesting. The more I was reading, the more I longed to know the rest of the story.

Geonel M

Devin Ellis-Martin said...

I really enjoyed "Belles Lettres", as the passive aggressive letter presented a different viewpoint of mothers, not often shown in books, or shows, but exists, heavily, in the real world. -Devin Ellis-Martin

Anonymous said...

One thing I learned relating to the art of good story telling because of reading Thompson-Spires's collection of stories is how having strong minded characters can affect storytelling. In "Belles Lettres" Dr. Lucinda and Monica are emailing back and forth regarding their daughters. They are both strong-minded, rude and blunt with each other. This whole story is just honestly about two women going back and forth with each other but that is what makes this section of the book. I am a strong-minded individual, so I enjoy and learn from books with characters who act the same.

-Danielle Hawthorne, 5/3/21

Anonymous said...

Reading made me realize that you don’t have to take the typical route or look to portray a story. In every single story, we’ll almost every story, she had a different leading character who had different people in their lives. All these people where different shapes and sizes and had differently personalities. And although I expected majority of them to black, their descriptions and personality showed that this can literally be anyone. My favorite story was the last story “Whisper to a Scream”. It really highlighted that you should be nice to people and not worry too much about their opinions.

-Alexis H., 5/3/21

Anonymous said...

From my point of view in the story “ belles Lettres” it acknowledges the steps of someone's good intentions and their true value. Even tho it seems as if two of our own where against each other, instead of being as 1 which some women fail to realize. They were against each other And then to see they made communication worse between their children wasn't the right way to go about anything but it made the story more amusing wondering what would be next.

-Courteona C., 5/3/21

Cheyenne Carpenter said...

An important part of this story was when Raina decided to make a video detailing her true feelings and I was able to see a very vulnerable side of Raina that we have yet to see. I was kind of upset that she didn't post it, but I understand why she didn't.

Anonymous said...

Tracy Long said...
I enjoyed all of the stories, the one that stuck out to me the most was "Belles Lettress" in that story there were 2 parents arguing and you could tell with the tone of each letter things were going to get ugly .Each letter you could feel the tension rising.
April 30, 2021 at 9:48 PM

William Akpan said...

Thompson-Spires writings were so compelling to me because of the way the characters individual experiences were centered. The reader was not given an extremely topical view of what is going on in the character's life, but the reader is constantly reminded of the character's deepest thoughts, insecurities, etc. I also think the style with which the stories were written was interesting and engaging, always keeping the reader excited for what will happen next.

-William A.

Tracy Long said...

One of the things I enjoyed while reading is the type of writing the author displayed in the stories. One of my favorite readings was “ belle lettres” , I liked how the author really showed how tense the argument is between the two characters.

Tracy long

Adejoke Adanri said...

I think the way Belle Lettres was written was so creatively. We were able to fully feel the tension between the mothers and their children just through the use of letters. It was interesting of course because the insults the mothers would sling at each other were entertaining, but it was also interesting how both mothers wanted to defend their children and wanted their children to be proud black young women; however, they couldn’t set their pride aside to encourage their girls to support each other.

- Adejoke Adanri

Anonymous said...

Reading “Fatima, the Biloquist: A Transformation Story” made me realize how important it is to connect with the character, even if you don’t connect on a personal, I’ve been through this or felt this before level. You can connect by how real an experience is. Thompson-Spires setup the dialogue in a way that made you connect with the character and pull you into the story.
-Jayla Pierce, 5/3/21

Kristian Beal said...

One aspect that I noticed from several of Thompson-Spires' excerpts was that there was a lot of internal conflicts going on in the stories. It displayed their actual thoughts and let me know how the people were feeling when they were in that moment. It connected me to the story even more because of that element.

Donovan Washington said...

"Belles Lettres" stood out to me from the rest when thinking about the storytelling. I enjoyed reading through this section of the book the most because as a reader I could almost hear the tone of voice in each letter as the situation escalated. This kept me reading each letter looking forward to the response.

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed reading "Belles Lettres." The way Thompson-Spires wrote/told the story was very interesting. I enjoyed reading the intense letters that the women wrote to one another; after reading one letter, I immediately felt eager to read the next.
The creative style of this piece made for an enjoyable experience while learning about the competitive relationship between the two mothers.

-Jada Baker

Jasmyn Kloster said...

While reading Thompson-Spire's story "Belles Lettres" I realized the importance of writing in a way that the reader can pick up on the tone of a conversation. The letters were mean, and as a reader, I could put voices to the letters because of the way the story was written. The language was also important for this style of writing.

Jasmyn Kloster

Kalonji said...

With respect to the art of storytelling, Thompson-Spires' “Belles Lettres” is the story that stood out the most to me. The exchange between the two moms defending their daughters over the letters was definitely memorable because the approach was so unique to me. Thompson-Spires also has an inept ability to add layers, depth, and details to establish the context and tone of the story. At a certain point, the amount of pettiness and personality within "Belles Lettres" was seeping out of the story to the point where it made me recall instances in my life where people displayed similar levels of petty behavior. It made me laugh at times, but at the same time, I was mostly disappointed in the two ladies.

Keaira C. said...

Reading Thompson-Spires made me realize the importance of having characters that are so vivid, rich, and real to bring more life and reliability to the stories that get told. Emphasizing that there really is an art to storytelling, making sure to incorporate strategies that add depth, and complexity to experiences and situations that are commonly black experiences, turned to relatable vivid stories. For example, when reading "Belles Lettres" this story was very captivating and made a unique situation very understandable and personal. It was easy to get pulled in on the debates and the sides of the two moms, and I don't think this would have been as resonating if there weren't so many significant and intricate details used, and such realistic characters included and made.

Anonymous said...

I really liked "Belles Letters" because of how petty the moms got when defending their daughters. While childish and disappointing it is nice to see parents fight for their children until the end. Of course they could have been so much more mature about it.

Breann Walton