'evermore' final.png
'evermore' final.png

'folklore' & 'evermore' : Listening for Reflection

from $100.00
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In this four session workshop, Margaret and the like-minded nerds who elect to join her will revisit Taylor Swift’s 2020 albums folklore‍ and ‍evermore and learn how to use them as a lens for personal reflection. Class will meet on Zoom from 7:30pm-10pm ET on four Mondays— January 26th, February 2nd, February 9th, and February 23rd, with no class meeting on President’s Day (February 16th). In each session, we will closely engage with 3-5 specific songs from first folklore (1/26 and 2/2) and then evermore (2/9 and 2/23).

We will examine songs like “august,” “betty”, “happiness,” “ivy,” and more, celebrating their individual artistry and tracing their relationship to one another. Margaret will lead a mix of big group exercises and small group discussions specially designed to unearth both new richness of meaning in Swift’s lyrics and informative resonances in your own lives. By the workshop’s end, we will have deepened our relationship to these albums and learned a variety of strategies for better understanding ourselves through the art we love.

Unlike Margaret’s Taylor Swift listening parties, we will not listen to the whole album during these classes, only select songs. You do not need to have every word of the albums memorized, but Margaret recommends revisiting them in their entirety as you proceed through the class. People with all levels of Taylor Swift expertise are welcome— the only requirement for participation is a belief that these albums are worthy of serious attention and capable of withstanding a critical gaze.

Finally, If you would like to join this workshop, but the cost is prohibitive for you, shoot me an email and we’ll figure something out. I do not want cost to be a barrier for anyone. Scroll down for further information about the class structure and schedule, missing class, materials needed, and how to reach out with any additional questions.

In this four session workshop, Margaret and the like-minded nerds who elect to join her will revisit Taylor Swift’s 2020 albums folklore‍ and ‍evermore and learn how to use them as a lens for personal reflection. Class will meet on Zoom from 7:30pm-10pm ET on four Mondays— January 26th, February 2nd, February 9th, and February 23rd, with no class meeting on President’s Day (February 16th). In each session, we will closely engage with 3-5 specific songs from first folklore (1/26 and 2/2) and then evermore (2/9 and 2/23).

We will examine songs like “august,” “betty”, “happiness,” “ivy,” and more, celebrating their individual artistry and tracing their relationship to one another. Margaret will lead a mix of big group exercises and small group discussions specially designed to unearth both new richness of meaning in Swift’s lyrics and informative resonances in your own lives. By the workshop’s end, we will have deepened our relationship to these albums and learned a variety of strategies for better understanding ourselves through the art we love.

Unlike Margaret’s Taylor Swift listening parties, we will not listen to the whole album during these classes, only select songs. You do not need to have every word of the albums memorized, but Margaret recommends revisiting them in their entirety as you proceed through the class. People with all levels of Taylor Swift expertise are welcome— the only requirement for participation is a belief that these albums are worthy of serious attention and capable of withstanding a critical gaze.

Finally, If you would like to join this workshop, but the cost is prohibitive for you, shoot me an email and we’ll figure something out. I do not want cost to be a barrier for anyone. Scroll down for further information about the class structure and schedule, missing class, materials needed, and how to reach out with any additional questions.

  • Class will be held on Zoom from 7:30-10pm ET on the following days: Monday, 1/26, Monday, 2/2, Monday, 2/9, and Monday, 2/23. We will not meet on President’s Day (Monday, 2/16).

    Each 2.5-hour workshop will be structured as follows:

    • Brief introductory remarks by Margaret (5 minutes)

    • Group discussion about the album as a whole (20 minutes)

    • Exercise combing small group and large group discussion about a specific song (50 minutes)

    • 10-minute break

    • Exercise combining small group and large group discussion dedicated to another portion of the album (50 minutes)

  • This workshop will be recorded and made available to participants to watch or re-watch on their own time. It will be best experienced as a real-time participant, but if you are interested and unable to make this time work, the recording is an option.

    • A computer with a strong enough internet connection to support a streaming meeting.

    • A Zoom account to access our classes.

    • Access to a recordings of Taylor Swift’s folklore (deluxe edition) and evermore (deluxe version), which you should listen to in full before the pertinent class sessions.

    • For in-class discussions, I will provide everyone with a digital lyric sheets for use in common reference.

  • As stipulated at the end of the class description, I do not want cost to be a barrier to anyone attending the class. If you would like to participate, but $25/session is beyond your means, please email me and we will work things out.

    And, because folks were kind enough to offer for my last class, I have added an option to pay a little more for this class in order to support me in my efforts to keep my courses financially accessible to all. You have no obligation to purchase at that level, but I will obviously be very grateful to anyone who does.

  • If you have any questions these sections have failed to address, please feel free to email me and I will try to respond to you as quickly as possible.