NEWS
Be sure to check out Eric Licas‘ article on Write On! in The Corsair. Thanks, Eric! Read it here:
Congratulations to CJ Larson, April winner of an iScript, for posting goals on Write On! Online. Join the Write On! Online Yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/writeononline/) or Facebook group, post your goals, and be entered in the monthly drawing to win a FREE iScript. For more information on iScript, go to www.iScript.com.
Write On! member Arthur Jolly won Babes With Blades’ 2009-10 Joining Sword and Pen playwriting competition, which is devoted to increasing the number of quality scripts featuring fighting roles for women. Jolly’s script is a drama titled Tjurj√°ga (pronounced Tyoor-YAH-gah, Russian slang for jail), which is set in an inmates’ bunkhouse of a Siberian gulag in 1949 post-war Soviet Union. Jolly will receive a cash prize and full production of his script in spring 2010. Congrats!
David King of The Learning Garden was featured on Fox LA News:
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/money/Recession_Gardening_Grow_Your_Own_Produce_20090315
Terri Freedman is a series regular in an improv-based web series, EXIT Stage Left, which is now an official series on KoldKast.tv: http://www.koldcast.tv/index.php/cast/exit-stage-left. The 8th episode is now out.
Congrats to Daphne “Dee” Wright, who performed in the feature film Shady Lane and is currently in the production The Office Girls at the Comedy Union, 5040 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019, which closes this Thursday, April 16 at 8 pm. Wright is also directing, producing, and performing in 16-44, opening May 3 at The J Spot Comedy Club, 5581 W. Manchester Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Show times will be 8 pm with doors opening at 7:30 PM. Email sistamoon@yahoo.com for ticket details and more information.
Debra Eckerling’s interview with Susannah Grant is in the current, Earth-Day themed StoryLink eZine. Also in the eZine, producer Greg Reitman answers questions about his 2008 Sundance-winning documentary Fuel, Thia Montroy talks about writing for the Action Genre, and Karl Iglesias answers a question about differentiating character dialogue. Also, post a question for TV/Film writer producer Peter Elkoff (Ugly Betty, The Education of Charlie Banks) and, if your question is chosen, you could win The Dialogue: Learning from the Masters DVD (Winner’s Choice). Read the eZine here: http://www.storylink.com/ezine?ezine_id=19
EVENTS
Writers Boot Camp will be hosting a free seminar: Empowered Re-writing – Getting from First Draft to Full Development on Tuesday, April 21, from 7:30 – 9:30 pm at Writers Boot Camp, Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Avenue, Building I, Santa Monica. For more information or to RSVP, contact Cameron Graham at 310-998-1199 ext 329 or email cgraham@writersbootcamp.com.
Check out The Write Environment: Interview with David Hayter (The Watchman) on Saturday, April 25, from 11 am – 12 pm. Hosted by Jeffrey Berman, the live interview will be conducted at The Writers Store, 2040 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles. For more information or to RSVP, please contact the Writers Store at 866.229.7483.
Want to hear your work read? AltScreenPlay meets on Thursdays 7:30 – 10 pm, at Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA, and is moderated by Matt Byrnes, mbbyrnes@gmail.com. First reading starts at 8; and readings begin in the order in which the author arrived. Bring 1-10 pages of your screenplay, and make enough copies for each role. No RSVP necessary. Feel free to sit in without bringing any material of your own. For more information: http://inscreenwriting.com.
The Los Angeles Public Library now has a Screenwriters Workshop four Saturdays of the month at different branches, from 10:30 am – 12 pm, and every Sunday in the Farmers Market community room from 3 – 5 pm, hosted by Sasha Karova. Learn format and workshop original material (screenplays, 1/2 hour sitcom, and 1/2 hour and 1 hour episodic) with an open reading or read-through. Open reading is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please RSVP to WritersUnblock@aol.com.
The Venice Garden and Home Tour will be on Saturday, May 2, from 10 am to 2 pm. This annual event is a self-guided walking tour of Venice homes and gardens. Our 2009 Venice Garden & Home Tour includes the Venice Canals, Ocean Front Walk, Beach Walk Streets and Windward Neighborhood West of Abbot Kinney. For more information, go to www.venicegardentour.org or email venicegardentour@ca.rr.com to learn how to become a docent for the event.
WRITE ON!
The April Extra Credit Assignment (https://writeononline.com/2009/03/12/april-extra-credit/) was to do something different, and then post about it on the Write On! Yahoo Group or Facebook Page. The winner of April Extra Credit is Shella Udoh. Shella will receive a free iScript and her story appears at the bottom of the newsletter.
May Extra Credit: Will be assigned at the April Meeting.
Our May Meeting will be on Wednesday, May 13. Please have newsletter items to me by May 11.
Write On! Online Author Q&As are now every Tuesday AND Friday. Thanks to the fabulous response I received from my HARO (www.helpareporter.com) query, we have some wonderful authors in all areas and genres who will be sharing their wide range of expertise. Check out the columns posted since the last newsletter:
Brenda Della Casa, Cinderella Was A Liar
https://writeononline.com/2009/04/14/author-qa-brenda-della-casa-cinderella-was-a-liar/
Melissa Silverstein, Women and Hollywood
https://writeononline.com/2009/04/10/author-qa-melissa-silverstein-women-hollywood/
Allen Klein, The Healing Power of Humor
https://writeononline.com/2009/04/07/author-qa-allen-klein-the-healing-power-of-humor/
Poet Joy Jones
https://writeononline.com/2009/04/03/author-qa-poet-joy-jones/
Joel Stratte-McClure, The Idiot and The Odyssey
https://writeononline.com/2009/03/31/author-qa-joel-stratte-mcclure-the-idiot-and-the-odyssey/
Playwright and Screenwriter Jamie Pachino
https://writeononline.com/2009/03/24/author-qa-jamie-pachino-playwright-screenwriter/
Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna, Cherry Bomb
https://writeononline.com/2009/03/17/author-qa-carrie-borzillo-vrenna-cherry-bomb/
Published authors: Share your knowledge by participating in a Write On! Q&A Email writeononline@yahoo.com for more information.
Also, read “Jen’s Gems … for the Healthy Writer: The Eyes Have It” by Seattle-based movement and fitness coach Jennifer Waak: https://writeononline.com/2009/03/26/jens-gems-for-the-healthy-writer-the-eyes-have-it/
MEMBER PROJECTS
Ask Al A Carte is accepting submissions for her upcoming anthology of Food Memories. Email your essays (up to 500 words) with a recipe if you have one to askalacarte@cs.com. By submitting, you are giving permission for your essay to be published.
Ladies, how have you met the men in your life? Any good stories to tell? Liz is writing a book about how to meet men and needs lots of good stories! Be sure to include both first names, how he asked you out, how your first date went, and what ended up happening to the relationship–even if it did end in tears! Email your story, 500 words or less, to liztunnell@hotmail.com with your contact information. Permission to print is implied in the sending!
Sheryl Sacchitelli (www.now-later-never.com) is still looking for volunteers (women, aged 40 and up) to complete a 15-minute survey to help with her work on women’s issues. Those interested in being interviewed, go to: http://www.now-later-never.com/Interviews.html
FINAL NOTE
Congratulations again to Shella Udoh for her winning April Extra Credit Story:
“Lie flat on the ground and imagine a fish hook attached to your g-string and pulling you up,” says my teacher, Coco encouragingly.
I am one of ten women in a pole dancing class and the first lesson being taught is how to do a fierce cat pounce. This takes a lot of concentration. We lie flat on our stomachs and slide our bodies back on the mats while trying to look sexy. Luckily Coco warns us that we will feel awkward at first, a fact confirmed by us all judging from the looks on my fellow students faces as we emerge from the floor.
“Stick your arse out!” Coco says. We look at each other and smile – our next door companion looks just as bad as we do.
Once we get the hang of the cat pounce we move on to actual pole work. There are six floor to ceiling poles evenly spaced around the room which is bathed in flattering red lighting. Coco demonstrates how to swing round the bottom of the pole. She makes it look so easy but, after a couple of tries resulting in banging my back leg against the pole I develop a nice purple bruise and a new appreciation for strippers. They really work hard for those dollar bills. After figuring out that I have to get a half leg close to the pole, hook my foot around the pole, collect my confidence in both hands and give a little jump with my back leg I am soon spinning almost expertly round the pole. It feels quite invigorating even as I feel a little dizzy from the fast spin.
As we are learning how to walk saucily round the pole, Coco tells us that pole dancing is not about learning to shake your arse to give some guy an erection it’s about empowering women to love their bodies and embrace their curves. Indeed by the end of the class, not one of us cares that we’re not a size 2 we have embraced our inner sex goddess and are ready to hit the town.
Tags: Allen Klein April Newsletter Brenda Della Casa Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna Debra Eckerling iScript Jamie Pachino. Melissa Silverstein Joel Stratte-McClure Joy Jones Write On!
