Margin Notes

What I was reading:

Kathleen Glasgow’s You’d Be Home Now is a beautiful story told through the eyes of Emory Ward, whose brother is addicted to drugs. The story explores a variety of topics connected to youth today, specifically addiction and identity. Interspersed throughout the story is Instagram posts called Mis_Educated. These posts become another character of the story. Here are some examples:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Moves I Noticed the Author Making:

• through these posts, the reader also gets the chance to hear from other students in the town of Mill Haven (in the comment section) about what’s really happening and how they feel about their lives and all the messiness that comes with being a teenager.
• These posts broaden the story from that of just the main characters
• Posts are written as poems
• How the hashtags used set a tone, for example #nightmare in one post and #itgetsbetter in another post
• How the comments are not always connected to the post or to other comments, but reveal a great deal about the youth culture in Mill Haven

Possibilities for Writers:

• Read these posts as a writer and notice the craft moves inside each post
• Read these posts as a reader. Write about your thoughts on what you are reading.
• Write an Instagram post that would fit with the novel you are currently reading. Add in the hashtags and comments
• Choose one Instagram post/poem and follow the format of the writing
• Find a poem and write the comment section to depict the youth culture in your life
• These posts discuss notable people in Mill Haven. Write about the notable people in your city/town/community.