Success Stories

Student Success: Sofia Dillenberger’s Script Placements
Former Screenwriting: Film and TV Comprehensive Certificate student Sofia Dillenberger has been experiencing success on the festival circuit. In her own words, “(I) went through the festival circus for the first time this year. My Pilot, "Sincerely, Ida" was a...

Student Success: Jamie Della’s book
This fall, Writers’ Program student, Jamie Della, priestess, healer, Xicana Witch, and creativity mentor will publish her tenth book, A Box of Magick, on September 23rd. Jamie has been a Wiccan author and spokesperson for 23 consecutive years and has contributed to...

Student Success: Dane Hanson
Writers’ program student Dane Hanson’s debut novel, Worst Knights Ever, releases August 22, 2023, in paperback, eBook, and audiobook! “It's autumn 2001, and a fire-breathing dragon is destroying London. With most of her military overseas, the Queen decides to do what...

Success: Teresa Yang’s Upcoming Book
Writer’s Program student, Teresa Yang’s book, Nothing But the Tooth: An Insider's Guide to Dental Health, will be published August 23 by Rowman & Littlefield. Publishers Weekly says, "The guidance is practical...and will make readers' next trip to the dentist a...

Student Sucess: Jason Tanamor
Current UCLAx Writers' Program student Jason Tanamor's new novel, The Legend of Sensei Tsinela, has been picked up by Ooligan Press in Portland, Oregon for a Spring 2025 release. The Filipino based YA story follows Victor Delacruz, a teenager who attempts to prove...

Success: Amanda Eberhardt Featured on Deadline
This past pride month, Writers’ Program student Amanda Eberhardt was featured in Deadline as an Out Loud List honoree for “Best Unproduced TV Scripts” by Out in Hollywood for their TV pilot Glorious Empire, the true story of Rome’s first and only trans female empress,...

Success: Michele Karpel’s Script Placements
Former student Michele Karpel has recently garnered success on the festival circuit, “my screenplay Broad Band, has won three best screenplay awards. Most recently, the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival.” On her experience in the Writers’ Program, “Thanks for this...

Success: Stephen Ra-Choi Screenwriting Fellowship Placements
Stephen Ra-Choi, a recent graduate of the UCLA Extension certificate program, was selected as one of the 25 finalists for the 2023 Screencraft Screenwriting Fellowship. He was also given an honorable mention by the ISA Diversity Initiative program for 2023. For both...
Feature Articles

Lessons to Learn from Stephen King
Last Thursday, September 21st, marked the 76th birthday of one of the 21st century’s most prolific and commercially successful writers in the world. Stephen King has penned over 70 novels and 200 short stories. A quick peruse of IMDB reveals that he has over 336...

Instructors & their Pets: David Borofka & Gizmo
David Borofka is a beloved Writers’ Program instructor and award-winning author of numerous short stories and several short story collections. David has a fluffy friend who often likes to make appearances in Zoom meetings and has been known to aid in David’s class...

Staff Picks: Fall 2023
You might know them. Maybe you’ve come across them at events or spoken to them on the phone. Maybe they have helped you enroll in classes, advised you, given you recommendations, or supported you as a student or instructor. I’m referring to our Writers’ Program staff,...

Fall Season at the Writers’ Program
As the first official day of fall nears, many of our students across the globe are likely experiencing the telltale signs of the new season approaching. Even in Los Angeles in the middle of a heatwave, we’re beginning to feel the effects of the shortening days, the...

Announcing our 2023-24 Phyllis Gebauer Scholarship winners!
The Writers’ Program is thrilled to announce the latest recipients of the Phyllis Gebauer Scholarship in Writing. Creative Writing Program Director, Jennie Seidewand had this to say about this year’s winners “(They) showed so much passion about their writing projects...

WP NOW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: CHARLES HAILEY
The WP NOW was established in 2020. Meant to fill the often-awkward gap between the classroom and becoming a professional writer, the WP NOW is a low-fee subscription service that offers a wide range of benefits including; class discounts, memberships to professional...

World Letter Writing Day
Created by Australian Artist, photographer and author Richard Simpkin in 2014, World Letter Writing Day (September 1st) is a holiday commemorating the art of letter writing. Many authors, statesmen, and laypeople were prolific in their correspondence and left behind...

Instructor Rachel Kann on her Fulbright Scholar Award
This past spring, Writers’ Program Instructor, Rachel Kann was awarded the prestigious honor of being selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for 2023-2024 for Morrocco. Fulbright Scholar Awards are highly competitive, and alum include a significant number of Nobel...