BOOK & MOVIE JOURNAL Workshop - 14 March 2026

BOOK & MOVIE JOURNAL WORKSHOP: THE ART OF LIVING STORIES

Online on Zoom - Saturday, March 14, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The recording and recap will be available in PDF format for registered users.

Workshop held by Debora Lambruschini

No material is included.
The link to participate in the workshop will be sent on March 13th.

All workshop registrants will receive a discount code to use on Saypaper.

A journal isn't just a simple archive, but the most valuable ally of every reader... and viewer! A blank space that becomes a map of our imagination. It's the essential tool for capturing the echo of a story, the power of writing, of a shot, and for observing, over time, how our tastes and sensibilities evolve through stories.

In this new edition of the workshop, we'll explore the infinite potential of the Book & Movie Journal . For the first time, we'll combine literary and cinematic analysis in a single, invaluable notebook, learning to create a constant dialogue between the written page and the screen. And why not, our notebook can become the ideal container for all our cultural experiences, whether reading a book, watching a film, or even a play or an exhibition!

Through practical examples and a revamped toolbox, Debora Lambruschini will guide us in building an effective yet deeply personal journal, capable of transforming cultural enjoyment into an active, conscious, and exquisitely analog experience.

THE DETAILED PROGRAM

1. THE METHOD: BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE JOURNAL

Why keep a journal? It's not just about memory, but a critical method. We'll analyze how this tool is indispensable for both the amateur and the professional writer.
Types and formats : from the synthesis of essential registers (for those who appreciate order and speed) to the richness of narrative diaries. We'll see how to choose the format best suited to your time and space constraints.
The living structure : we will learn to set up pages so that they are functional yet welcoming, balancing technical data and personal reflections.

2. THE "TOOLBOX": SEASONAL AND PERSONAL SECTIONS

We will think together about specific sections to make the journal a unique object :
Monthly recap and seasonality: how to take stock of your reading and viewing journey, creating narrative balances that punctuate time.
Analogue Moments: Ideas and inspiration for unplugging from digital and rediscovering the pleasure of pen on paper, collage, and slow reflection.
Organizing wish lists and sharing moments: wish lists, Book Club tracking, sections dedicated to specific genres and literary forms.
The story index : a neat section that allows you to find a title within the notebook at a glance, transforming it into a real searchable archive .
The Critical Archive : How to Integrate Notes from Articles, Reviews, and Essays to Nurture Our Literary and Cinematic Culture.

3. THE MOVIE JOURNAL: TRACING THE IMAGE

Why is it useful to keep track of movies and TV series? We'll explore how to "read" a film :
From screen to paper: Recording critical insights, memorable shots, and quotes.
Connections and Visions: Creating connections between different films, directors, and current trends, while also managing lists of upcoming releases and "classics to catch up on."

4. THE CURIOUS LOOK: TRACING THE CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

The journal as a travel companion: how to jot down your impressions after an art exhibition, a festival—even a literary one!—or a live event .
The ticket that becomes a memory: store tickets, brochures or postcards without weighing down your notebook
Writing down emotion: like capturing a color palette, a quote on a wall, or the feeling you felt in front of a work of art.
Cross-cutting connections: how to link an exhibition to a book we are reading or a film we have just seen (creating that cultural network that makes the journal a living tool).

5. PATHS BETWEEN PAPER AND FILM: THE HAMNET CASE

We will immediately put into practice what we have learned by working on an exceptional case study, where the most refined literature meets auteur cinema :

The novel : an analysis of Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. We'll explore the power of her language in describing grief, motherhood, and the birth of Shakespeare's genius.
The film : Chloé Zhao's gaze. How does the director's visual sensibility (Oscar winner for Nomadland) translate O'Farrell's rarefied, domestic atmospheres?
In the Journaling Workshop, we will fill out the pages dedicated to this "double encounter" together, learning to structure the critical comparison between the two works in our notebooks.

The workshop is organized in collaboration with Debora Lambruschini : literary critic, editor, cultural event organizer, content creator, and press officer, Debora teaches writing and literature courses, specializing in English and North American culture.

He co-directs the writing and reading school Officina del racconto,
She collaborates with magazines including criticaletteraria.org and osservatoriocattedrale.com , and has created and coordinates an online reading group and a film club, as well as an in-person reading group. She cultivates words, both her own and those of others, through targeted writing and reading projects. And, needless to say, she has a passion for stationery and can't live without a book journal to track the readings, interviews, inspiration, and research that inform her editorial work.