Success Stories
Success: Instructor Donald Martin Eyes 2020 Release for New Feature Film
At the recent American Film Market (AFM), the feature film Never Too Late was introduced to the industry, written by instructor Donald Martin. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Loretta Devine, Ann-Margret, James Caan and Christopher Lloyd. Shot in Atlanta, the film is...
Success: Instructor Shawna Kenney Publishes & Becomes Contributing Editor of Narratively
Instructor Shawna Kenney just published a longform piece of reportage about co-housing and the LA housing crisis with the literary magazine Narratively. Shawna was recently named a Contributing Editor with Narratively, too, (after being a longtime contributor). Shawna...
Success: Instructor Lou Mathews’ Story Featured in 2019 Best American Mystery Stories
Longtime instructor Lou Mathews' first attempt at a new genre, mystery/noir, has been honored as an Other Distinguished Story in the 2019 Best American Mystery Stories anthology. His story, “Crab Dinners” was published in Santa Cruz Noir, edited by Susie Bright. “I’d...
Success: Jia Huo Sells Script
Current Feature Film Writing Certificate student, Jia Huo, recently sold one of her scripts to Chinese television. She explains the unique journey of her sale saying, "Since it’s difficult for new writers to sell a script in China, I wrote a romantic story using the...
Success: Seppe Van Beneden Wins Several Screenwriting Awards
Current Feature Film Writing Certificate student, Seppe Van Beneden has had quite a run of successes with a script developed in Writers’ Program classes. Seppe says, “A screenplay I wrote, inspired by an assignment during Writing the First Screenplay, has received...
Success: Rachel Vogel’s Story Wins Halifax Ranch Fiction Prize
Student Rachel Vogel, who has already had success this year, is celebrating her latest achievement. Rachel says, “My short story "Visitors," which I completed in Paul Mandelbaum's Short Story III winter workshop this past year, has won the 2019 Halifax Ranch Fiction...
Success: Brenda Marie Smith Wins Southern Fried Karma Novel Contest
Former student Brenda Marie Smith’s novel If Darkness Takes Us won the 2018 Southern Fried Karma Novel Contest and will be published on October 15th. Brenda says of her writing journey, “I didn’t get to take classes or start writing until my kids were grown,...
Success: Thuc Nguyen Makes Sundance Second Round
Former student Thuc Nguyen is currently in Round 2 The Sundance Institute Development Labs with a drama feature with a Vietnamese-American woman lead. She’s also a finalist in the InnovAsian screenwriting contest with a comedy: #MindyWuTranVersusSiliconBeach. Of her...
Feature Articles
Announcing the 2019 James Kirkwood Award Winners
Earlier this month, the Writers’ Program hosted a luncheon in Los Angeles to honor the recipients of the 2019 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...
Instructor Interview: Eileen Cronin
Welcome new Writers’ Program instructor Eileen Cronin! Eileen is teaching Memoir I on the UCLA campus (Reg# 371301) this Winter, and sat down with us to offer some insight into creative life and her upcoming course. What sparks your creativity? Indie folk music with...
Instructor Interview: Colin Costello
Welcome new Writers’ Program instructor Colin Costello! Colin is teaching a section of Writing the First Screenplay I on the UCLA campus (Reg# 371082) this Winter, and sat down with us to offer some insight into creative life and his upcoming course. What sparks your...
Instructor Interview: Elisa Wouk Almino
Welcome new Writers’ Program instructor Elisa Wouk Almino! Elisa is teaching a NEW course, Translation I on the UCLA campus (Reg# 371362) this Winter, and sat down with us to offer some insight into creative life and her upcoming course. What sparks your creativity?...
NEW Winter 2020 Classes
Though 2019 has yet to bow its last, registration is now open for Winter 2020. Now is the time to think about what your writing goals for 2020 will be, and what steps you can take to achieve them. We have a wide array of new classes for Winter, in addition to our core...
What Scares You Most?
As we arrive at another Halloween week, a time of spookiness as the end of the year approaches, we want to know – What scares you? What scares you more: Knowing your characters inside and out, or your characters telling you how their story goes? What scares you more:...
“I’m too busy!” And Other Excuses Not to Write
If you've ever tried writing, you've probably found reasons not to write. How many have you heard? How many have you thought/felt/done? “I have to do more research before I get started.” “My cat is sitting on my keyboard.” “I need more tea… and a snack… and oh, look,...
We Like ALL Books and We Cannot Lie
Once upon a time (up until last summer), the Writers’ Program had a library. It was a small library by most standards, just a couple tall bookshelves in our office space. However, it housed decades of Writers’ Program history, containing books by students and...