Book Study
It Happened Next Year: Short Story Experience
An Arts-Integrated Response to Ray Bradbury’s "There Will Come Soft Rains"
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Ages 14 and Up
Cost: $30/student
Maximum Group Size: 10 students
Location: Lakes Park Library
Tuesday, September 9th and Tuesday September 16th @ 10am
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Format: Two 1-hour in-person sessions, with independent work between
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Materials Needed: Printed copy of the story (Contact AE for link), basic art supplies (pencils, pens, colored paper, etc.)
Course Description:
In this two-part class, students will engage with Ray Bradbury’s powerful short story *There Will Come Soft Rains* not through traditional literary analysis, but through creative interpretation. This course invites students to explore literature as lived experience—felt through emotion, translated through art, and expressed in their own voice. Rather than being limited to isolated, objective categories, students are encouraged to own their personal experience of the story and respond in a way that feels meaningful to them.
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Session One: First Impressions
Students will read the story in advance and arrive with preliminary sketches, color swatches, quote selections, or other creative responses that reflect their emotional and sensory experience of the text. In class, we’ll use these initial works to guide discussion, helping students recognize and articulate how the story moved through them—what stood out, what lingered, what resonated.
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Session Two: Final Artwork and Reflection
Between sessions, students will transform their initial impressions into a final piece of artwork using the medium of their choice—drawing, collage, painting, digital design, or another creative form. In our second meeting, students will present their work and reflect on their process, developing skills in interpretation, presentation, and personal expression.
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Educational Focus:
- Literature as a felt and embodied experience
- Interpretation through visual storytelling
- Emotional literacy and subjective reasoning
- Speaking and reflecting from personal insight
This course creates space for students to connect with literature in a way that is personal, creative, and reflective—moving beyond summary and symbolism into direct, expressive engagement.