The poet Rob Fitterman is running a "word shop" on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11am-2pm, at the Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery in Manhattan). Rob will be selling words and letters at the shop. He'll consult with you about what words or letters you want to buy, and then he'll negotiate a price with you. (The prices are very, very low -- less than a dollar.)
I will give you extra credit if you visit Rob's Word Shop and buy a word or a letter, then write a short paragraph about the experience for me.
Some guidelines:
1. You can go to the shop and request a specific word or letter, but it might also be fun to ask Rob to recommend a word -- just like when you go to an unfamiliar restaurant, you might ask your waiter to recommend a dish based on your likes and dislikes. For example, you could give Rob some abstract qualities ("bright," "feels good in the mouth," "a good word to shout") or personal preferences ("I love the sound of the letters m, n, and c, but I think the vowel a sounds nasal and irritating") or some other kind of request ("I want to buy a word that rhymes with your middle name") and ask him to give you a word or a range of choices.
2. Don't be afraid to haggle! If Rob's price seems too high, negotiate a lower price. If you think the word is too cheap, offer to pay more.
3. Ask Rob about his project. Why is he doing this? What are the ideas behind this project? What kind of experience is he trying to provide? Is this art? Is it writing? Is he going to do something with all the words people buy, and if so, what?
Don't be shy. Rob is very friendly, and he will be delighted if you come to participate in his project.
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