Success Stories
Success: Stacie Hawkins Accepted into TV Writing Lab
Former student Stacie Hawkins recently was accepted into a writers' lab for a script she developed in Writers' Program courses. Stacie says, " My one-hour fantasy script, Night Watchers, was selected for the 2022 Gotham TV series lab. In September, I will go to New...
Success: Douglas Hosdale’s Short Story Publication
Former student Douglas Hosdale recently had a story published by Limit Experience. He says, "In the Spring of 2022 my short story, "Nebraska" was accepted by The Limit Experience Journal. It was super satisfying to have my piece featured in LEJ's issue on The Sacral...
2022 Allegra Johnson Prize
The Writers’ Program is thrilled to announce Andrea Bitunjac the winner of the 2022 Allegra Johnson Prize. The final judge panel included Writers’ Program instructors Eileen Cronin, Daniel Jaffe, and Sehba Sarwar. From our semifinalists, the panel selected Andrea...
Success: Thuc Nguyen’s Film in Development
Former student Thuc Nguyen's Sundance Institute semifinalist script is being produced. Thuc says, "It's great to be part of a history making team. Never has there been an English language drama film directed by a Vietnamese American woman, starring a Vietnamese...
Success: Francesca Lia Block’s New Novel
Instructor Francesca Lia Block's newest novel is coming soon. She says, "House of Hearts is the book I’ve been wanting to write since the beginning of my career. It’s a fertility myth, a thriller, a murder mystery, a love story and a very personal search for self, and...
Success: Roshni Bhatia’s Short Story in Anthology
Screenwriting alum Roshni “Rush” Bhatia recently had a short story published. She says, "A year ago, I had the pleasure of writing my first solo short story for an Alien vs. Predator anthology. Today, I’m thrilled, stoked, flabbergasted (all of it!) to announce the...
Success: Daniel Pope’s New Story
Former student Daniel Pope's new story, "Good Neighbors," has been published as a Story of the Week in Narrative Magazine. About his experience in the Writers' Program Daniel says, "The workshop classes I took with Ben Loory and Lou Mathews at UCLA Extension were some...
Success: Chris Prangley’s Debut Nonfiction Book
Former student Chris Prangley's first non-fiction book, The Tech Sales Warrior, has been a number one bestseller in multiple categories on Amazon. Regarding his experience in the Writers’ Program, Chris, “Credits UCLA Extension's creative writing program as an awesome...
Feature Articles
The Young and The Reckless: Writing for Teens Agent Interview with Linda Camacho
Linda Camacho is an agent at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency, founded in 2000 and home to talents like Rick Riordan and Kacen Callendar. Linda graduated from Cornell with a B.S. in Communication and has held various positions at Penguin Random House, Dorchester,...
Instructor Interviews: Kim Tomsic and Stefanie Hohl
Welcome new Writers’ Program instructors Kim Tomsic and Stefanie Hohl! Kim and Stefanie are both teaching sections of Picture Book I this Fall. Kim is teaching in our Remote Instruction format, with live Zoom class meetings, Saturdays, 1-4pm PT (Reg# 388504). Stefanie...
NEW Courses for Fall 2022
It’s hard to believe we’re in the back half of 2022, or that this is the last round of classes we’ll have for the year. However, time continues to propel us all forward, and if you’re looking to dedicate time, energy, and focus to writing before the year is out now is...
The Young and The Reckless: Writing for Teens Speaker Interview with Henry Lien
Henry Lien is a 2012 graduate of Clarion West. He is the author of the Peasprout Chen middle grade fantasy series. His short fiction has appeared in publications including Asimov’s, Analog, and F&SF, and he is a four-time Nebula Award finalist. Henry also teaches...
The Young and The Reckless: Writing for Teens Speaker Interview with Sofia Lapuente and Jarrod Shusterman
Sofía Lapuente is an author, screenwriter and avid world traveler who immigrated from Spain to the United States to realize her dream of storytelling. Since then, she has studied Business and Management of Entertainment at UCLA, worked as a producer and casting...
The Young and The Reckless: Writing for Teens Speaker Interview with Sherri L. Smith
Sherri L. Smith writes novels, nonfiction, and comics. Her books have won the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award and the California Book Awards Gold Medal. They have been named Amelia Bloomer and American Library Association Best...
The Young and The Reckless: Writing for Teens Speaker Interview with Naz Kutub
Naz was born and raised in Singapore, and currently lives in Los Angeles with his partner Benson, and his two furry garbage collectors – Alex and Raffe. He will forever be grateful to fried chicken for being a primary motivator in his early years, and also for...
The Young and The Reckless: Writing for Teens Speaker Interview with K.A. Barson
K.A. Barson has been published in Highlights for Children magazine and her young adult novels, 45 Pounds (more or less) and Charlotte Cuts It Out, were published by Viking Children’s Books. She earned an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont...