Success Stories
Success: Charlotte Offsay to Publish Debut Picture Book
Former student Charlotte Offsay is about to have her first picture book published, with more on the way. She shares, “I am excited to share that my debut picture book, The Big Beach Cleanup, will be published by Albert Whitman on March 1, 2021. The Big Beach Cleanup...
Success: Kristin Griffith Publishes Debut Memoir
Former student Kristin Griffith recently published her debut memoir. “Publishing my first full-length book, Rush: Memoir of a Gay Sorority Girl, has been a dream of mine for almost 10 years and it just released on paperback and eBook versions! Taking place in college,...
Announcing the 2020 James Kirkwood Award Winners
Although 2020 didn’t allow for in-person gatherings, we want to honor the recipients of the 2020 James Kirkwood Literary Prize. The James Kirkwood Literary Prize is named for the late Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning author James Kirkwood, one of the Writers’...
Success: Lisa Gomez Lands Agent
Certificate alum Lisa Gomez recently signed with literary manager Daniel Seco from Empirical Evidence. Lisa and her co-writer and twin sister Gina Gomez got signed in part because of their Vincent van Gogh biopic The Starry Night that Lisa developed throughout her...
Success: Elle Johnson to Publish Debut Memoir
Longtime Writers’ Program student and TV writer Elle Johnson is about to release her first memoir. She was a finalist in the inaugural year of the Allegra Johnson Prize. After five years of dedicated study in Erika Schickel’s transformative beginning, intermediate,...
Success: Pete Hsu’s New Chapbook
Long time Writers’ Program student, Pete Hsu, recently released There Is a Man, his chapbook-length story collection with Tolsun Books. There Is a Man is an austere, bold, tender, and violent series of experimental short stories that Writers’ Program instructor Ben...
Success: Nancy Pine Publishes Nonfiction Book
Student Nancy Pine recently published her latest book, One in a Billion: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey through Modern-Day China. Nancy says, “My success came from plenty of hard work for a decade, thousands of hours of interviews, many drafts and critiques, enormous...
Success: Ron L. Dowell Finalist for Multiple Awards
Writers' Program Certificate alum Ron L. Dowell’s short story collection was a finalist for the 2020 Big Moose Prize and a Chestnut Review Stubborn Artist Contest semi-finalist. His story, “Bruised,” from the collection won the 2020 Tulip Tree Merit Prize and is...
Feature Articles
Instructor Interview: Mary Gulino
Welcome new Writers’ Program instructor Mary Gulino! Mary is teaching a section of Beginning Writing for the Half-Hour Spec I (Reg# 379243) in our Remote Instruction format, with live Zoom class meetings on Tuesdays at 7pm PT this Spring. She sat down with us to offer...
Student Spotlight: An Interview with Cassie Friedman
Certificate alumna Cassie Friedman recently experienced the thrill of having a new show released on a major network. Cassie sat down with us to talk a bit about the experience of developing a reality/game show, and how her experiences as a writer and Writers’ Program...
Announcing the 2020 James Kirkwood Award Winners
Although 2020 didn’t allow for in-person gatherings, we want to honor the recipients of the 2020 James Kirkwood Literary Prize. The James Kirkwood Literary Prize is named for the late Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning author James Kirkwood, one of the Writers’...
NEW Courses for Spring 2021
As we approach the one-year mark since we were unexpectedly shifted, physically and mentally, to an all-online, all-remote structure for classes (and instructors and staff), we continue to look ahead to offering newly developed courses to keep up with, and anticipate,...
You Are a Writer: Recap of PEN America Seminars
During the month of January, our partners at PEN America hosted a series of webinars under the umbrella theme of “You Are a Writer,” with professionals in the field covering different topics of the professional development and careers as writers in various genres and...
Starting A Literary Magazine: An Interview with Alexandra Hill
Certificate alumna Ola Jacunski, who writes and edits under the name Alexandra Hill, recently founded khōréō, a new magazine of speculative fiction by immigrant and diaspora writers. She spent her childhood taking solace in the pages of books; born...
Writing Quotes to See You Through Uncertain Times
For current times, and any time it feels like the odds are stacked against you and your creativity, or writing goals. Does what it says on the tin, we hope. E. B. White: “I admire anybody who has the guts to write anything at all.” Lorraine Hansberry: “Never be afraid...
15 YA Books You Need in Your Collection
By Alexis Harmon Many avid readers will remember growing up on a steady diet of books full of magic, adventure, heartache and drama. As the years go on, the market for books geared to young adults has grown exponentially – and so has the audience. Though YA books are...