word by word

In an era dominated by poststructuralist and politically influenced literary criticism, Ms. Vendler, who taught at Harvard for more than 30 years, adhered to the old-fashioned method of close reading, going methodically line by line, word by word, to expose a poem’s inner workings and emotional roots.

But, the individual biggest winner of the day was judge Tanya Chutkan, whose work was studied line by line and word by word by Donald Trump's lawyers, who tried to rip it apart in arguments to a three judge panel of the court of appeals, and each of those judges, including a conservative Republican appointed judge, who has hired law clerks who are members of the Federalist Society — unanimously agreed that Judge Chutkan was right in every word she wrote, every word.

It was a meticulous process, explained Dawn DiPrince, the president and chief executive of History Colorado, as the museum staff and tribal representatives sat together in a room, “literally going through label copy word by word.”

By soliciting donations from attendees, Word by Word has so far raised roughly $55,000 for three strike funds — the Union Solidarity Coalition, the Entertainment Community Fund and the Hollywood Support Staff Relief Fund — to help not only writers but also crew members and others affected by the work stoppage.

The Word by Word workshops have offered plenty of practical tips and hard-earned wisdom about the craft.