This week we discussed the textbook definition and the broadly-accepted interpretation of the word “curator”. By definition, the term curator refers to

a keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection.

However, in the 21st Century, that definition has shifted to curators of a different sense; bloggers, social media influencers, and basically anyone with a Pinterest or Instagram account. We discussed what gives a “curator” the responsibility or qualifications to refer to themselves as such. Is it a Bachelor degree or PhD that grants a person the eligibility or right to curate? Or do the lines blur with the actual content that is being curated? We read two articles that are prime examples of cultural criticism, which is a branch of critical writing. These two pieces speculate about the ever-evolving definition of curationism in popular culture. David Balzer’s article has a disparaging tone about social media curators, whereas Alexandra Molotkows piece had a more interesting insight into the role of the curator. According to Molotkow,

The curator’s ascent is partly the effect of something sweet: Through the torrent of stuff, and beyond the hierarchies of taste and cultivation, we are really just looking for the sense of someone else.

I feel that this encapsulates our journey and purpose as writers delving into criticism and curationism.

This week in Everyone’s a Critic we were challenged in our first class to give one another feedback on either our PB2 drafts, or on other critical reviews that we have been working on. For a lot of us, giving and receiving feedback can be awkward and uncomfortable, but we are steadily growing better at it. As a very insecure person, I can tend to be very critical of myself and my own work in a very negative or debilitating way, so receiving feedback from other people enables me to see the aspects of my work that are positive and strong.

Alexia read only the first sentence of our reviews, and gave us some excellent advice to take on for our writing across all fields: to always rewrite your introductory sentence and see how that manipulates the quality and both yours and other readers perception of the piece.

Wednesday’s class was a Q&A session with renowned critics Philippa Hawker and Simran Hans. Both writers had a very distinct and individual style, which was conveyed even in their mannerisms and their answers to our questions.

The aspect of the session that I found the most useful and informative was the discussion on finding and developing an authoritative voice through our writing. Simran and Philippa’s best advice was that the more you write, the more your voice as a writer will establish itself. They both made it clear that translating how you feel about something and articulating those emotions is an excellent way to tease out ideas about the kind of writer you want to be.

Other really interesting insights included:

• How to pitch a piece to a publication in a way that is efficient, deliberate and authentic. Pitch a story, not an idea. 
• When freelancing, always establish upfront whether it is a paid job or not.
• Tailor pitches to the respective publication.
• Social media platforms such as Twitter can be useful networking tools, however you must tailor your posts to the target audience.

Week 3 brought about our first screening, which was City of Gold, directed by Laura Gabbert. The film documents Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold through his culinary adventures through Los Angeles.

The aspects of the documentary that stood out to me the most were the ways in which a simple review could potentially change the lives of the small business owners whose traditional and modernised cuisines fly under the radar in the critical community of L.A. It made the whole concept of critical writing so much more meaningful in the sense that there is an entire society of critics dedicated solely to providing a voice for those who don’t have the platform to do so themselves.

We were tasked with taking notes on the film to prepare us to write a critical review of it, thus making another addition to our steadily growing portfolios.

We did a close reading on one of Gold’s published reviews in the L.A. Times and analysed his writing style, honing in on his descriptive language and ability to engage audiences so profoundly that their mouth waters.