Success Stories
Success: Jessica Kahle Hired to Work at The Academy
Recent student Jessica Kahle has accepted her first industry position at The Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences! Having always dreamed of working in entertainment, Jessica felt her physical distance from Los Angeles and the opportunities to learn and network...
Success: Cassandra Rose Wins at AFF
Former student Cassandra Rose won Austin Film Festival's 2022 Scripted Digital Series screenplay award with her original series, Walk Into a Bar. Cassandra says, “UCLA Extension's class in Advanced TV Series Showrunning gave me the confidence to write my own web...
Success: Maria Dadouch’s Picture Book Teaching Journey
Former student Maria Dadouch’s experiences in our classes have had long-reaching effects in other countries.After studying with us, she's expanded into publishing and teaching herself, contributing to the growth of picture book publishing and education. Maria says, “I...
Success: Kathy Forti’s Novel Series
Former student Kathy Forti is about to have the third novel in her Stacks series published this April. The series initially started as a pilot script in a Writers’ Program course. Kathy says, “Before I became a clinical psychologist, I was a news writer with a...
Announcing the 2022 James Kirkwood Award Winners
2022 marked the 30th anniversary of the James Kirkwood Literary Prize. As in many years past, a celebratory luncheon was held in December for this year’s winners. Additionally, to mark the momentous occasion of having thirty years of this prize, there was also an...
Success: WP Staffer Jeff Bonnett’s Netflix Holiday Movie
We're thrilled to close out 2022's success stories with one of our own: Jeff Bonnett wrote Falling for Christmas, a holiday movie featuring Lindsay Lohan now streaming on Netflix. The script was started in a Writers' Program course, and helped along in early drafts...
The Barbara Abercrombie Scholarship in Creative Writing
Barbara Abercrombie taught with the Writers’ Program for over thirty years. She was a dedicated instructor who devoted her energy, time, and wisdom to students – being awarded both the UCLA Extension Distinguished Instructor Award and the UCLA Extension Outstanding...
Success: Joseph Dabby’s Debut Memoir
Former student Joseph Dabby recently published his memoir. He says of the experience, “My book No Looking Back was published recently. It's a memoir about my growing up as a Jew in Iraq, my childhood, adolescence, imprisonment, marriage to my sweetheart, and our...
Feature Articles
Instructor Interview: Philip Hoover
Welcome new Writers’ Program instructor Philip Hoover! Philip is teaching a section of One-Hour TV I (Reg# 391148) this Spring. Philip is teaching in our Remote online format on Mondays starting April 3. He sat down with us to offer some insight into creative life and...
Instructor Interview: Cynthia Dewi Oka
Welcome new Writers’ Program instructor Cynthia Dewi Oka! Cynthia is teaching a section of Personal Essay I (Reg# 391063) this Spring. Cynthia is teaching in our Remote online format on Wednesdays starting April 12. She sat down with us to offer some insight into...
NEW Spring 2023 Courses
Although in many parts of the US winter is still very much here, we’re already looking forward to Spring and the renewal of nature and ourselves it can bring. UCLA Extension’s Spring quarter starts the first week of April, with many of our classes starting the week of...
Instructor Interview: Jarrod Shusterman and Sofía Lapuente
Welcome new Writers’ Program instructors Jarrod Shusterman and Sofía Lapuente! They are co-teaching Young Adult Novel I (Reg# 391126) this Spring in our deadline-driven, asynchronous online format starting April 12. They sat down with us to offer some insight into...
How to Show a Writer Love
As with all relationships, communication is key. Writers are still individuals and each person has a different way of receiving love and care. While surprises are lovely, odds are few others (particularly non-writers) have asked your writer what they need to have an...
Success: Instructor Matt Witten’s New Novel
Screenwriting instructor Matt Witten recently had a new novel published. Matt says, "My thriller Killer Story came out this month from Oceanview Publishing. Killer Story is inspired by all the true-crime podcasts I love listening to during my commutes to UCLA. It's...
Announcing the 2022 James Kirkwood Award Winners
2022 marked the 30th anniversary of the James Kirkwood Literary Prize. As in many years past, a celebratory luncheon was held in December for this year’s winners. Additionally, to mark the momentous occasion of having thirty years of this prize, there was also an...
2022 Year in Review
As another year nears its end, the Writers’ Program reflects on how the world, and our program continue evolving. We know this continues to be a difficult time for many, and for others they have experienced personal and professional growth this past year that deserves...