Writer's Guild of America, East Foundation Members Help Give Voice to those Caring for Wounded Veterans
NEW YORK CITY - They are some of the country’s unknown heroes - young, strong yet vulnerable, and very brave. Most never viewed themselves as important nor ever believed their thoughts and stories were of interest to anyone but themselves. But, now thanks to some of the country’s leading writers - screenwriters, TV writers, playwrights and novelists – and a unique mentorship program of the Writers Guild of America, East Foundation, these unsung heroes are believing and giving voice to their stories.
The writers are members of the Writers Guild of America, East Foundation, which held its Helen Deutsch Writing Workshop on November 5th and 6th. During the two-day workshop, more than 20 WGAE Foundation members, including Marsha Norman, Jenny Lumet and Tom Fontana, mentored 40-plus caregivers brought to New York City with the support and assistance of the Wounded Warrior Project TM. They also had the opportunity to share their stories with award-winning documentary filmmaker, Lulie Haddad. These caregivers are assisting or providing care for service members who have been wounded either with physical or psychological damages of war. They face layers of bureaucracy stalling assistance, as well as feelings of isolation and unworthiness. The workshop helped them connect with other caregivers facing similar challenges and with mentors eager to help them express themselves and empower them to write about their personal journeys.
Mentors included: Marsha Norman, Tom Fontana, Jenny Lumet, Chris Albers, Stephen Belber, Jessica Blank, Amy Cohen, Rick Dresser, Anne Flett-Giordano, Gina Gionfriddo, Craig muMS Grant, Dave Hackel, Lulie Haddad, Erik Jensen, John Markus, Willie Reale, Susanna Styron, and Michael Weller. Three of the mentors had personal military experience – Ryan Kelly and David Tucker in Iraq and Matthew Eck in Somalia – which uniquely helped them understand the battles of war impacting these caregivers and their loved ones now.
“The WGAE Foundation is a group of volunteer writers, some of the most successful and celebrated in the country, who shares our skills with underserved populations of people, who for whatever reason have not had an opportunity to learn how to tell the stories they wish to tell about their lives. We have mentored injured veterans and now caregivers of severely wounded service members. The time spent with the caregivers has been profound for all of us, mentors and caregivers alike. For the professional writers to hear stories of the courage and devotion of these caregivers, and for the caregivers to have encouragement from writers whose shows they watch on television, movies screens and on stages, is special. It was inspiring to watch the incredible eagerness and hard work from everyone involved, all of who donated their time and talents. It is a time together that none of us will ever forget,’” said WGAE Foundation President Michael Weller.
Helen Deutsch Veterans Writing Workshop for Caregivers (Part 2)
Our next Helen Deutsch Veterans Writing Workshop will be held in New York City on November 5th and 6th. We are thrilled to partner with Wounded Warrior Project again. Our volunteer mentors will work with the family members who have become full-time caregivers of their loved ones who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with severe and debilitating injuries. They also have the opportunity to share their stories with award-winning documentary filmmaker, Lulie Haddad. The workshop is a follow-up to our June workshop and will again involve about 40 caregivers and more than 20 Foundation mentors.
Mentors are: Chris Albers, Stephen Belber, Jessica Blank, Amy Cohen, Rick Dresser, Matthew Eck, Tom Fontana, Anne Flett-Giordano, Gina Gionfriddo, Craig Grant, Dave Hackel, Lulie Haddad, Erik Jensen, Ryan Kelly, Jenny Lumet, John Markus, Marsha Norman, Willie Reale, Susanna Styron, David Tucker, and Michael Weller.
Stories from the Helen Deutsch Writing Workshops
Kat Honaker (aka Uncle Sam’s Mistress) one of our recent participants during our Helen Deutsch Writing Workshop for Caregivers in June, writes about her experience in New York and meeting interesting people along the way.
Kat states of the opportunity to share her story, “I am quite honored and stunned, as it truly means the world to me. Maybe it's because for the first time I am being recognized for just me and my writing and not something that has to do with my husband? I don't have many accomplishments in the past four years that is just solely mine, as selfish as that sounds. Sometimes I think that's needed for the broken minds of spouses and caregivers of our wounded. I am sincerely honored and would love for you to utilize my story.”
What I Learned On the Cracked Streets of New York
This past June, I was invited to attend a trip to the Big Apple (That's New York for you non-city slickers) for a Writer's Guild sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project. Now this small, moo-cow town, semi-misplaced, semi-country girl indeed experienced one hell of a culture shock heading into the city that never sleeps. Between the airport, driving into downtown Manhattan in a cab (which by the way could give you PTSD just from the traffic and the way folks drive out there) and just the jittery nerves of meeting other women like me, had me wound tighter than Dick's hat band! It was go go go from the start, and with the constant traffic and sounds of the city....I found myself missing those early hours with quiet, my moo cows and roosters crowing in the distance.
Since I take my coffee intravenously in the mornings, the one tiny, tea bag coffee filter in a one cup maker just wasn't going to do it for me. I rose way too early on Saturday morning and went in search for the elusive large suicide cup of coffee. As if God was on my side, it led me around the corner where angels started singing and bright lights illuminated in the form of a Dunkin Doughnuts sign. So in the early hours of the morning, I sat outside and watched the food vendors set up for the day, businesses washing off the sidewalks in front, the trash being set out and just listened to the bit of silence that New York City could offer me.
Kickoff of NEA award winning WGAE Foundation’s Actors and Writers Book Club in Brooklyn, NY
“What do a former teen heartthrob and a son of Southie have to say to roomful of Brooklyn high school students? Plenty it turns out,” says Tom Deignan, English teacher at Automotive High School in Brooklyn, NY where the Actors and Writers Book Club kicked off last week.
Recipient of a grant from the NEA, The Actors and Writers Book Club is an opportunity to send actor and a writer to high schools around the country in underserved areas to discuss works of literature with students, in an effort to get students excited about reading, writing, storytelling, and the importance of language skills. Book Club Chair Tom Kelly (novelist, writer/producer Bluebloods) remarks, “Studies show that students engaged with literature are more likely to graduate from high school and go on to achieve academic success in college. Consistent readers learn critical analytical skills which bring understanding and confidence that will serve them the rest of their lives.”
For the first session, Deignan read excerpts from the book All Souls: A Family Story from Southie by Michael Patrick MacDonald to his sixty 12th grade students for two weeks in preparation for MacDonald and actor Donnie Wahlberg (Bluebloods, Saw franchise, The Sixth Sense) to come and discuss the memoir.
For MacDonald and Wahlberg it’s about remembering where they come from – they both started from humble beginnings so can understand how kids in traditionally underserved communities sometimes need different kinds of motivation. For the students, it was an afternoon about asking about writing, acting, and showbiz, but also thinking about how people are shaped by their environment.
“Destiny -- that’s a powerful word,” replied Wahlberg during the assembly in the Automotive auditorium, when he was asked by a student if he believes “geography is destiny.” However, they both agreed that with passion and tenacity, you can become anything you want, wherever you come from.
A wonderful time was had by all, with Wahlberg even vowing to return to the school for a basketball game when the season starts.
The Actors and Writers Book Club plans to travel to St. Louis, Buffalo, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Tucson during 2011-12. In conjunction with the high school’s curriculum, the actor and writer will read and discuss from various classics such as Their Eyes Were Watching God by Nora Zeale Hurston, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin, or To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The assembled students connect with the literature by sharing the experience with actors and writers they know and admire.
To read more about the kickoff event in Brooklyn, please click here.
For more information about the Actors and Writers Book Club, please read here.
If you would like to make a donation toward our matching grant for the Actors and Writers Book Club, please click here.
The 12th WGAE/WGAE Foundation Screenplay Reading at the JCC Manhattan
New York - On October 17th, 2011, The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, East Foundation (WGAEF) held their twelfth screenplay reading in the popular series at the JCC Manhattan. Excerpts from two new scripts, Mama’s Boy by Olga Humphrey, and Six Things Before Breakfast by Andrea Schully and Eric Saiet, were professionally produced with a talented cast of actors.
At 7:15 PM, the audience gathered at the JCC Goldman-Sonnenfeldt Auditorium to hear these new great works. First was the reading of Mama’s Boy, which was based on the true story (first written as a novel of the same name) of Eric Napolentano, his mother Carolyn, and their involvement with the murders of three Latina women in 1980’s New York. A Q&A session with the screenwriter Olga Humphrey as well as the author of the book Richard T. Pienciak followed the presentation. Second was the reading of Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast, a comedic drama about a disenchanted workaholic who returns to Martha's Vineyard to settle his grandmother's estate. Complications arise when he encounters his childhood imaginary friend who he has to keep from disappearing forever. Following the reading was a Q&A session with the writers Andrea Scully and Eric Saiet. Both Q&A sessions were moderated by WGAE President, Michael Winship, Emmy Award-winning senior writer of Bill Moyers Journal.
If you would like to read more about this event, please click here.
Stories from the Helen Deutsch Writing Workshops
Carlette "Sassy" Satterwhite writes an original story about her experience with the Veterans Writing Workshop in Austin, Texas.
My Dear Friend
The war on Iraq has forever changed the mindset of my dear friend and so many other military personnel and veterans who served during this time in history. It is easy for people on the outside to talk about the war and their beliefs about what is right and wrong in their eyes. People are quick to judge military troops’ actions and have not lived one moment in his or her shoes in the war the zone. Speculations fill the airwaves and the media runs rampant with footage that leaves negative imprints in minds of people. Some footage has left people criticizing military personnel and veterans for the role they played during the war. Yes, the media is doing what they know best, but sometimes they may be fueling the wrong fire in their reporting on the negative aspects of the war. Many Americans are more wrapped up in what is going on with the war overseas rather than on some of the negative affects it has left on our military personnel and veterans’ states of mind outside of the war zone.
To read more of "My Dear Friend" please click here.
Collyer Fellow Sara Van Acker moved to Semi-final round of the 2011 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting
Our 2009 Collyer Fellow, Sarah Van Acker, continued her success with her screenplay, Bloodlust, by becoming a semi-finalist in the Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Bloodlust, about the fearsome female pirate Anne Bonny, was Sarah’s Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship script, developed under the guidance of Marshall Brickman.
Sara explains the origins of Bloodlust: "[A few] years ago during lunch with a couple of writers, somebody in the group started listing “out-of-the-box” pairings for screenplay ideas: Werewolves and Abe Lincoln, Children Arms Dealers and Female Pirates. While the rest of the table discussed kindergartners swapping Uzis, I fixated on the idea of female pirates."
Sarah Van Acker graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2009 and was awarded the Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship the same year. Bloodlust won first place in the 2010 Bahamas International Film Festival’s Filmmakers’ Residency Program. Of 6,730 scripts entered for the Nicholl Fellowship, 351 were chosen to go to the Quarterfinals and Bloodlust was one of 120 selected to proceed to the semi-final round of judging.
The Nicholl Fellowship, founded in 1985, awards up to five $30,000 fellowships to talented writers each year.
Third PencilPALS event with mentors and students in Corona, Queens
NEW YORK— On May 20th, nineteen writer and actor mentors went to P.S. 16, an elementary school in Corona, Queens, as part of their ongoing participation in PencilPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools). PencilPALS is an offshoot of BookPALS, a nationwide program of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, and is part of the Writers Guild of America, East Foundation.
To start the day, a portion of the writers and actors gathered in the library, where they were dispersed to nine different first and second grade classrooms to read picture books to students as part of the BookPALS program. The mentors had a wonderful time reading and sharing with the students.
Afterward all the writer mentors gathered in the 5-4 Gifted and Talented class taught by fifth grade teacher Janine Esposito to meet their PencilPALs. Sitting on kid-sized chairs and a carpet on the floor, the young students talked about their favorite books, going to school and their summer vacations with the older writers. Visitors included writer and director Nora Ephron, her sister screenwriter Delia Ephron and writers from television shows such as Law & Order: Criminal Intent, One Life to Live and The Cosby Show. Please click here to read more.
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS ANNOUNCES GRANT TO WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA, EAST FOUNDATION
$10,000 grant will support Actors and Writers Book Club
May 19, 2011—New York, NY—Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, today announced that the Writers Guild of America, East Foundation has been recommended for a grant of $10,000 to support the Actors and Writers Book Club, which will bring established actors and writers to underserved high schools to read and discuss classic works of literature. The NEA grant will be matched by $10,000 pledged to the WGAE Foundation by an anonymous donor.
The Writers Guild of America, East Foundation is one of 1,145 not-for-profit national, regional, state, and local organizations recommended for a grant as part of the federal agency’s second round of fiscal year 2011 grants. In total, the Arts Endowment will distribute more than $88 million to support projects nationwide.
An independent agency of the federal government, the National Endowment for the Arts advances artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman said, “NEA research shows that three out of four Americans participate in the arts. The diverse, innovative, and exceptional projects funded in this round will ensure that Americans around the country continue to have the opportunity to experience and participate in the arts.” (READ MORE)
For more information about the Access to Artistic Excellence and other grants awarded by the NEA, please click here.
The 11th WGAE/WGAE Foundation Screenplay Reading at the JCC Manhattan
New York - On June 22nd, 2011, The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, East Foundation (WGAEF) held their eleventh screenplay reading in the popular series at the JCC Manhattan. Excerpts from two new scripts, American Gothic by Scott Smith, and Citizen Kowalski by David Steven Cohen, were professionally produced with a talented cast of actors.
At 7:30 PM, the audience gathered at the JCC Goldman-Sonnenfeldt Auditorium. Despite the horrible weather, there was almost a full house that evening. First was the reading of American Gothic, which tells the story of the Booth Brothers, Edwin and John Wilkes, and their respective journeys that give both fame and notoriety to their family name. The reading featured Jack Noseworthy, Patrick Yeoman, PJ Sosko, Robert Mobley, Jason Jurman, Gary Swanson, Mark Bailey, and Megan Lappin. This was followed by a question and answer session with writer Scott Smith, moderated by WGAE President, Michael Winship, Emmy Award-winning senior writer of Bill Moyers Journal.
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AMERICAN GOTHIC by SCOTT SMITH tells the story of the Booth brothers, Edwin and John Wilkes. They were the sons of Junius Brutus Booth, the greatest Shakespearean actor of his day. Edwin grew up to surpass his father’s stature on the stage. John gravitated toward a more flamboyant style of acting, and became something of a matinee idol. Then he achieved a far greater fame by assassinating Abraham Lincoln.
SCOTT SMITH is the author of two novels, A SIMPLE PLAN and THE RUINS. He adapted A SIMPLE PLAN for the screen, starring Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Bridget Fonda in 1998. The screenplay won many awards, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as numerous awards for best supporting actor for Billy Bob Thornton. He also adapted THE RUINS for the screen in 2008. Stephen King called THE RUINS, “The best horror novel of the new century.” Stephen King also declared that Smith’s other novel, A SIMPLE PLAN, is “Simply the best suspense novel of the year.” Scott was educated at Dartmouth College and Columbia University. He lives in NYC, and is busy working on screenplays.
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Next was the reading of Citizen Kowalski, a screwball comedy about a Chicago cop forced into early retirement, only to find that everything he believed in his entire life is a tapestry of lies. This realization propels him to “find the loose thread on said tapestry and unravel.” The reading featured John Sharian, Jim Palumbo, Wayne Federman, JD Williams, Phyllis Somerville, Tracee Chimo, Reyna de Courcy, and Michael Carlsen. After the reading, writer David Steven Cohen spoke with WGAE President, Michael Winship about the ideas and philosophy behind Citizen Kowalski.
CITIZEN KOWALSKI by DAVID STEVEN COHEN is about Chicago police detective Joe Kowalski, “just Jack Law protecting John Q. Citizen from Johnny Bad News.” Sgt. Kowalski, whose heroes include Joe Friday, Robocop and Mr. Clean, is forced into early retirement by a department that can’t stand his obsession with integrity, redundancy and bad metaphors. Disillusioned, he goes home only to learn that all he believed in – his Wisconsin hometown, bowling leagues and the very fabric of his childhood – is a tapestry of lies “woven and otherwise intertwined with the yarn of deceit on the loom of despair by the Devil’s own rug-maker.” Kowalski vows “to find the loose thread on said tapestry and unravel.” And he will…
DAVID STEVEN COHEN, a screenwriter and TV writer-producer, is currently nominated for a 2011 Emmy for the PBS series Arthur. He co-wrote the animated feature Balto, produced by Steven Spielberg. David was Head Writer of Cartoon Network’s Courage the Cowardly Dog and an Emmy nominee and WGA Award winner as Executive Producer of Nickelodeon’s The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. David’s other credits include Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, ALF, Living Single, and Strangers with Candy. Also an accomplished songwriter and lyricist, David wrote the libretto for the opera Lilith, which premiered at Lincoln Center in 2001. He has contributed songs to many features, TV series and recordings and was recently celebrated at the Lincoln Center American Songbook Series. David lives in Brooklyn Heights with his wife and two sons.
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After the conclusion of the readings, audience members, writers, cast and crew gathered on the roof of the JCC for a wine and cheese reception.The Screenplay Reading Series is produced and directed by WGAE Lifetime Member Susane Lee, with casting by Caroline Sinclair. The next screenplay reading is planned for October 17, 2011.
The WGAE/WGAE Foundation Screenplay Reading Series at the JCC is a popular ongoing program held twice a year that began in 2006. The program encourages WGAE members to submit their unproduced screenplay excerpts to be read by a professional cast in front of a live audience. Out of the numerous submissions made by many talented writers, two are chosen for each event. After each reading, there is a Q&A session with the writer of the screenplay where he or she discusses the writing process, the original idea behind the script, and what the next steps are for their stories.
JAMES DILAPO OF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
TO RECEIVE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA, EAST FOUNDATION
MICHAEL COLLYER MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIP IN SCREENWRITING
- Presented by Marshall Brickman and Jenny Lumet at WGA Awards in New York -
NEW YORK CITY - James DiLapo has been selected to receive the Writers Guild of America, East Foundation's (WGAE Foundation) Michael Collyer Memorial Fellowship in Screenwriting. The fellowship, which is funded by the Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation, is awarded to a student who plans to pursue a career in screenwriting upon completion of his/her undergraduate course of study. The recipient receives a $10,000 stipend to write an original screenplay under the mentorship of a prominent screenwriter. Marshall Brickman and Jenny Lumet will present DiLapo with his fellowship at the 63rd annual Writers Guild Awards on Saturday, February 5, 2011 in New York City at the AXA Equitable Center.
DiLapo is a senior in the Department of Dramatic Writing, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. His fellowship project, Devils at Play, is about a Soviet detective and enforcer of Stalin's Great Terror who finds his life destroyed after he is accused of treason. Marshall Brickman, Chair of the Collyer Fellowship Selection Committee, reflected on the wealth of talent nominated for the 2011 Collyer Fellowship. “Once again, it was difficult to decide on our recipient, as all of our candidates had much to recommend them. After much discussion and (friendly) gnashing of teeth, we awarded the laurel to James, who impressed us with his versatility and whose project was timely, involving and well-structured. James is a big talent and, along with my colleagues on the committee, I look forward to his involvement with our mentoring program and to his future work and accomplishments.” Read More HERE.
Interested in Volunteering with the Writers Guild of America, East Foundation? Please review our project section to see if you'd like to participate. Contact us at wgaefoundation@wgaeast.org to sign up and find out more.
