Let’s meet for no-host cocktails in the gorgeous Rendezvous Court or take an escorted tour of this historic hotel (optional), including the elegant ballrooms and indoor pool.
Then in Smeraldi’s Restaurant, we’ll have dinner with all the trimmings – soup or salad, entrée and sides, dessert selection, and beverages (non-alcoholic included with dinner; no-host bar available).
Awards and drawings follow, and we’ll have some nice surprises for you!
When
Thursday, December 10, 2015
6:00 p.m. No-host cocktails or hotel tour (both optional)
7:30 – 10:00 pm Dinner and program
Location
The Biltmore is located at:
506 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Parking/Transportation
Hotel valet $8.00 for four hours. Parking also available at the Pershing Square garage across from the hotel and at nearby private lots and garages. Or take MetroRail to Pershing Square station. Prefer to carpool? Post it on IWOSC’s Yahoo board.
About the Biltmore
Located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, the historic, elegant, architecturally striking Millennium Biltmore has hosted presidents, celebrities, dignitaries, the Academy Awards, and IWOSC writers! Join us to celebrate history, architectural splendor, and the holidays at the beautiful downtown Millennium Biltmore Hotel!
APPETIZER
Choose one (for yourself and one for each guest):
Caesar Salad
or
Tuscan Style Roasted Tomato Soup (extra-virgin basil oil essence)
ENTRÉE
Choose one (for yourself and one for each guest):
Baked Organic Chicken Breast
Mediterranean Vegetable Ragout, Olive Oil-Whipped Potatoes and a Rosemary-Thyme Sauce
or
Conchiglie alla Bolognese
Shell Pasta with Bolognese-style Meat Sauce and Green Peas
or
Shell Pasta with Meatless sauce and Green Peas
DESSERTS
A selection of Desserts will be served at each table. No selection necessary.
Panel
Writing Nostalgia: When the Past Sings, Make it Zing
Monday, November 16, 2015
Who doesn’t like nostalgia?
But nostalgia for one person might be ancient history for another. But good nostalgia can strike a chord with many people.
Nostalgia can liven fiction and stand on its own. If given the proper treatment, it can become an “evergreen.”
We will look at the writings and the process of several notable writers, veterans in the field of nostalgia. They have preserved a world and within those words are inspiration, fascination, humor, and pathos, and since it is all based on real events, often from known names, we can relate to the universals.
The many horror stories, success stores, emotional upheavals and poignant aftermath of events past, take on a personal meaning in the world of nostalgia.
We will explore:
The all-important legal aspects
Why the writers chose nostalgia
How they researched and found permissions
The ways the dynamics change when real people and families are involved
Approaches for bringing out and working with the strengths of the all-important story
Fleshing out the facts with created but authentic personality
The perks and benefits
What NOT to do, as illustrated in stories from real life
Estate considerations if it becomes a perennial hit.
And more
Our stellar panel will include:
Hank Rosenfeld
HANK ROSENFELD is author of two as-told-to memoirs: “The Wicked Wit of the West” by Irving Brecher about Hollywood, “Memorie” by Benjamin Mandil about the Holocaust.
The new book he is writing for Chimayo Press is: “Walky Talky: Conversation Tips from a Folk Journalist.”
His stories have appeared inThe Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, California Lawyer, Premiere, Village Voice, PAPER, The NY Post, Jerusalem Post, the Forward and other publications.
He has contributed humor and essays to NPR shows like All Things Considered, Marketplace and Off-Ramp on KPCC and some can be heard at HankRosenfeld.com/links
Jordan R Young
JORDAN R. YOUNG Jordan R. Young is a show business historian, playwright, theatre critic and travel writer whose work has appeared in “The LA Times,” “The New York Times,” “The Washington Post,” “LA magazine,” “Westways” and other publications.
Jordan’s books include “Spike Jones Off the Record;” “Reel Characters: Great Movie Character Actors;”” The Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio and TV’s Golden Age;” “Acting Solo: The Art and Craft of Solo Performance;” “The Beckett Actor;” “Dalí, Disney and Destiny;” “The Nostalgia Entertainment Sourcebook;” “John Ford’s The Quiet Man: The Making of a Cult Classic;” and “King Vidor’s The Crowd: The Making of a Silent Classic.”
Jordan’s plays have been produced in Hollywood and Off Off Broadway.
Jordan has written special material for the Grammy Awards and has served as a consultant for BBC Radio and Rhino Records. He is a sought-after speaker and talk show guest, and has been featured on CNBC, CNN and E! TV; CBS, KABC, KUSC, WNYC, WGN Chicago, and BBC Radio; YesterdayUSA.com and TheCommentaryTrack.com.
Herbie J Pilato
Writer/producer HERBIE J PILATO is the author of “Glamour Gidgets and the Girl Next Door,” “The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery,” “The Bionic Book,” “The Kung Fu Book of Caine,” among others.
He’s written about nostalgic pop-culture for “Starlog” and “Sci-Fi Entertainment” magazines, and has produced, consulted and appeared on classic TV and DVD documentaries for A&E, TLC, Bravo, Syfy, and more.
Pilato writes “The Retro Report” for ForcesOfGeek.com and contributes to Emmys.org and presides over Television, Ink. (a TV, film and literary production company), and founded the Classic TV Preservation Society (a nonprofit dedicated to the positive influence of classic television).
Robert Bader and Groucho
ROBERT S. BADER is the curator of the Bing Crosby Archive, the archivist and the licensing director for Daphne Productions and The Dick Cavett Show, and he also works with the estates of Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Jackie Gleason, and the Marx Brothers.
For PBS, Bader produced The Legendary Bing Crosby, Dick Cavett’s Watergate, and Dick Cavett’s Vietnam .Other writing and production credits include the CBS special The Honeymooners 50th Anniversary Celebration, and documentaries on John Fogerty, Johnny Mercer, and the Chicago Cubs. He’s produced DVD material about the early TV shows of Groucho and the Marx Brothers, Dick Cavett, Danny Kaye, Johnny Carson, Tom Snyder, Bill Cosby, and much more.
Bader edited the anthology Groucho Marx and Other Short Stories and Tall Tales. His next book is devoted to the Marx Brothers’ stage career and will be published in 2016
Moderator
Robert S Birchard
ROBERT S. BIRCHARD is a former award-winning film editor who brings an insider’s perspective and a great affection for the people who work in the picture business to his chronicles of the movies.
Birchard is the author of “Cecil B. DeMille’s Hollywood,” “Silent-era Filmmaking in Santa Barbara,” “Early Universal City,” and “King Cowboy: Tom Mix and the Movies” and a contributing writer to the omnibus volumes “M-G-M When the Lion Roars,” “Don Miller’s Hollywood Corral,” “The Encyclopedia of Early Film and Hollywood: The Movie Factory.”
His articles on Hollywood filmmakers have appeared in “American Cinematographer,” “Statement,” “Film History,” “The Moving Image,” “Griffithiana,” “Daily Variety” and “Los Angeles Times Calendar.”
He is also co-editor and co-publisher of the journal POP Twenty, which is devoted to 20th century popular culture.
He is a past president and board member of the preservation organization Hollywood Heritage, Inc. and is current president of The Society for Cinephiles/Cinecon which presents the annual Cinecon Classic Film Festival and contributes to film preservation projects.
Seminar:
A Storytelling workshop with Annie Korzen: Writing (and Performing) the Personal Essay
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Storytelling is the hottest new literary form – from The Moth to David Sedaris. In Los Angeles, there are many spoken-word events every night of the week. The competition is tough, and most tellers need help with creating the text and/or a relaxed performance technique.
Even if you are not interested in performing, personal essays can be sold to periodicals, like the Modern Love column in the NY Times, L. A. Affairs in the LA Times, and many more.
A great essay whether spoken or written requires a definite story arc, a specific narrative style, and a distinctive personal voice. These also apply to any autobiographical writing. We will discuss all this and more.
Bring the first two lines and last two lines of your own story, and we will have fun mining the gems of your ideas.
“I was really wowed by your stories. You are an incredible talent!” Catherine Burns, Artistic Director, The Moth
You can learn more about Annie Korzen’s class at youtube.com/watch?v=KkynL7AtGMo. (When you click this link it will open in another window or tab. Just close that when done watching and you will see this page again.)
About our presenter: ANNIE KORZEN
Annie Korzen, photo by Charles Bush
ANNIE KORZEN teaches storytelling and proudly tours with The Moth Mainstage. She has performed her solo shows on three continents. Her new storytelling evening is called TALES FROM THE MOUTH: Comedies of Errors.
Annie is the author of BARGAIN JUNKIE: Living the Good Life on the Cheap and has done humorous essays for NPR’s Morning Edition, The NY Times, LA Times, and many more. For details, go to www.AnnieKorzen.com.
Annie was the recurring Doris Klompus on “Seinfeld.” She played John Turturro’s mother in “Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen” and Jason Alexander’s sister in Neil Simon’s “Prisoner of 2nd Avenue.” She has performed her solo shows “Yenta Unplugged” and “The Yenta Cometh” on three continents and now offers a storytelling entertainment called “Tales from the Mouth: Comedies of Errors.”
Annie is proud to be a Moth Mainstage storyteller. She has done humorous essays for NPR’s “Morning Edition,” The NY Times, LA Times, and many more. Annie is the author of “Bargain Junkie: Living the Good Life on the Cheap.” Her book was covered by Tavis Smiley, Morning Edition, Patt Morrison, CBS Moneywatch, and others.
IWOSC is proud to co-sponsor the 805 Writers’ Conference.
October 31 & November 1, 2015
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Ventura, CA
The Craft and Business of Writing. 805 Writers’ Conference delivers the skills and knowledge writers need to succeed. Perfect for novelists, nonfiction, magazine, and screenwriters.
39 professionals to hear and meet, including our own Flo Selfman and Roberta Edgar.
18 Authors, 7 Literary Agents, 7 Book Editors, 2 Screenwriters, 2 Book Publishers, 7 Magazine & Newspaper Editors, 5 Book Marketers, 4 Writing Instructors, 3 Social Media Experts, and America’s most read archaeologist!
IWOSC will have a table there as well.
Conference coordinator Kate Sexton Kaiser is an IWOSC member.
Panel
Everybody’s a Critic!
How To Get Your Projects Noticed By Top Critics — And How To Become One Yourself!
Monday, October 26, 2015
How does a book writer, artist, performer/musician, or filmmaker get noticed by professional critics and bloggers, in today’s cacophony of 500 channels, Netflix, and YouTube — especially if they’re small-press, self-published, or an “indie” filmmaker or performer? And just as important, what qualities do critics want to see (and avoid!) in what they’re reviewing? What sets paid/professional film, TV, book, and arts criticism apart in today’s world of Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Blogspot “film critics” and “political commentators?” What is the ROLE of the professional critic in today’s society — and can you become one yourself?
And how has the demographics/diversity explosion changed the mandate for what films, books, and TV must address, in today’s highly charged media climate? What are the ethics behind “fair” and “unfair” reviewing — and are book, music, and movie reviews doomed to a future of either blathering talk-talk about critics’ personal lives or short, terse, “thumbs-up / thumbs-down” reviews of rotten tomatoes and television without pity?
In concert with our October 17 Saturday Seminar on “How to Get Your Work Noticed,” IWOSC is presenting a full panel of top critics from Book, Film/TV, Music, and Performing Arts Criticism to address these issues and more — and to take your questions from the audience.
Our stellar panel includes:
Telly Davidson, Author
TELLY DAVIDSON (moderator/panelist) has been an active IWOSCan for the past decade-plus, having hosted or appeared on previous panels on Trends in Publishing, Literary Agents, Books-to-Film, and Covering the Celebrity Beat.
Telly was senior film and TV reviewer for bestselling pundit David Frum’s FrumForum from 2009-12, has reviewed movies and TV and conducted interviews for FilmStew, 213 Magazine, iF Monthly, Entertainment Today, Guitar Player, All About Jazz, and has worked on TV specials for NBC and PBS including The WRITE Environment and Pioneers of Television.
He currently works with top producer’s rep Jeff Porter of Porter Pictures on the placement of independent films, is the author of the Emmy magazine-cited TV’s Grooviest Variety Shows and is completing a new book on pop culture and politics to hopefully be published next year, tentatively titled CULTURE WAR.
Brent Simon
BRENT SIMON is a film critic and regular contributor to Screen International, Paste, Playboy, Yahoo Movies and is West Coast correspondent for the leading Asian-language film and TV industry magazine, MTime.com.
An honors graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Simon served for five-plus years as editor-in-chief and lead film critic of the now-defunct Entertainment Today, at the time Los Angeles’s oldest free weekly publication focused exclusively on entertainment. Simon has contributed essays and feature pieces for print publications as diverse as Los Angeles Daily News, Paper, Los Angeles CityBeat, H Magazine, Zeitgeist, Now Playing Magazine, PopSmear, New York Magazine and Vulture, IGN, Rotten Tomatoes, FilmStew and Reelz.
A former three-term president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Simon has worked with AFI Fest, and served on festival juries at City of Lights, City of Angels (COLCOA), Method Fest and more, and in 2007-08, his play “Pulp College” was produced Off Broadway.
DEBRA LEVINE is editor/publisher of arts•meme, the fine arts blog she founded in 2008.
A specialist in Hollywood dance history with over 30 years’ experience writing about dance and live theatre/performance, she is a frequent host and speaker at dance-on-film events, bringing fresh ideas to audiences at the Museum of Modern Art, Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, UCLA Film & Television Archive, Dance Camera West, American Cinematheque, The Last Remaining Seats, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.
In January 2016, Debra will curate and host ALL THAT JACK (COLE), a 20-film retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. On Turner Classic Movies, she co-hosted, with Robert Osborne, “Choreography by Jack Cole,” a full-evening broadcast featuring four classic dance films.
She has produced multiple in-person screening events starring Academy Award-winning actor/dancer George Chakiris of “West Side Story,” including “George Chakiris: A Life in Film” at UCLA Film & Television Archive and MoMA.
Debra is a two-time Fellow at NEA Arts Journalism Institutes. In dance and classical music/opera. Debra’s criticism and feature articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, La Opinion, Long Beach Press Telegram, South China Morning Post and Dance Magazine.
Twitter: @artsmeme
DAN SCHINDEL is one of LA’s newest and youngest film and TV/DVD experts — he spent an entire year watching and reviewing a new documentary every day, and it became a blog originally titled “Days of Docs.”
Dan’s writing has appeared in Los Angeles Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Movie Mezzanine, Paste Magazine, Film School Rejects, Nonfics, ScreenPicks, and much more.
You can relive his “days of docs” — as well as get the latest on all sorts of current big-name film and TV titles, at DanSchindel.com.
ERIKA SCHICKEL returns to our panel, having served alongside the likes of Digby Diehl and Steve Wasserman on past IWOSC panels.
The daughter of legendary film, TV, and book critic (and Friend of IWOSC) Richard Schickel, Erika is a writer, mother, teacher, author, journalist, essayist, and “opinion-atrix” whose writing has appeared in the LA Review of Books, LA Observed, City Beat, LA Weekly, and many other online and print publications and op-ed pages.
Erika is the author of You’re Not the Boss of Me: Adventures of a Modern Mom, and is currently finishing her second book, The Big Hurt, a “memoir of romance in a post-romantic age.”
A former actress and performance artist herself, Erika has worked extensively in theatre, TV, radio, and film.
Seminar:
Get Your Book Noticed: Let Reviewers Sell Your Book for You!
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Don’t drown in the sea of published books. Learn how to compete against the publishing Big Fish using the same highly effective book promotion techniques … without spending thousands of dollars.
Discover how to use the secret power of book reviews to ensure that the media, buyers and consumers start paying attention to and buying your book, spreading the word around the globe.
Get exclusive access to the contact info and detailed submission requirements for 550 of the most coveted Top Amazon, Blog and YouTube book reviewers — the reviewers who all have thousands of avid followers who are looking for their next book to buy.
About our presenter: GEMINI ADAMS
Gemini Adams
GEMINI ADAMS. British artist, educator and award-winning author of several inspiring healthy living and humor books. Gemini’s work has been featured on The Huffington Post, The Today Show, Reuters, Take A Break, Campaign and Marketing Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, Digital Trends, Geek Magazine, Campus Circle, Ecosalon, and her articles have been published in RED magazine, Women’s Health, BOOM, Live It Natural, Yahoo.com, OpentoHope.com and In Care of Dad.
Gemini’s books have been translated into Spanish, Chinese and Japanese, and earned her the Mom’s Choice® Gold Award, 2013 (Humor Books), Mom’s Choice® Gold Award, 2010 (Death & Dying Books), The National Best Book Award, 2009 and the Dad’s Seal of Approval, 2009. She is also a recipient of the prestigious Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship, 2006.
Her published books include, “The Facebook Diet: 50 Funny Signs of Facebook Addiction and Ways to Unplug with a Digital Detox” (The Unplug Series, Live Consciously, 2013), “Your Legacy of Love: Realize the Gift in Goodbye” (Live Consciously, 2009), and “The Top 100 Recipes for Happy Kids: How to Keep Your Child Active, Alert and Focused” (Duncan Baird, 2007). Gemini is also the co-author of “More Than Money: How to Leave Your Family a Lasting Legacy” (Celebrity Press, 2011) and “Open to Hope: Inspirational Stories of Healing After Loss” (White Press, 2011).
Seminar:
Get Your Book Noticed: Let Reviewers Sell Your Book for You!
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Don’t drown in the sea of published books. Learn how to compete against the publishing Big Fish using the same highly effective book promotion techniques … without spending thousands of dollars.
Discover how to use the secret power of book reviews to ensure that the media, buyers and consumers start paying attention to and buying your book, spreading the word around the globe.
Get exclusive access to the contact info and detailed submission requirements for 550 of the most coveted Top Amazon, Blog and YouTube book reviewers — the reviewers who all have thousands of avid followers who are looking for their next book to buy.
About our presenter: GEMINI ADAMS
Gemini Adams
GEMINI ADAMS. British artist, educator and award-winning author of several inspiring healthy living and humor books. Gemini’s work has been featured on The Huffington Post, The Today Show, Reuters, Take A Break, Campaign and Marketing Magazine, The San Francisco Chronicle, Digital Trends, Geek Magazine, Campus Circle, Ecosalon, and her articles have been published in RED magazine, Women’s Health, BOOM, Live It Natural, Yahoo.com, OpentoHope.com and In Care of Dad.
Gemini’s books have been translated into Spanish, Chinese and Japanese, and earned her the Mom’s Choice® Gold Award, 2013 (Humor Books), Mom’s Choice® Gold Award, 2010 (Death & Dying Books), The National Best Book Award, 2009 and the Dad’s Seal of Approval, 2009. She is also a recipient of the prestigious Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship, 2006.
Her published books include, “The Facebook Diet: 50 Funny Signs of Facebook Addiction and Ways to Unplug with a Digital Detox” (The Unplug Series, Live Consciously, 2013), “Your Legacy of Love: Realize the Gift in Goodbye” (Live Consciously, 2009), and “The Top 100 Recipes for Happy Kids: How to Keep Your Child Active, Alert and Focused” (Duncan Baird, 2007). Gemini is also the co-author of “More Than Money: How to Leave Your Family a Lasting Legacy” (Celebrity Press, 2011) and “Open to Hope: Inspirational Stories of Healing After Loss” (White Press, 2011).
Monday, September 28, 2015
7:30 to 9:15 p.m. (networking follows the program)
Thinking about writing the stories of your life? Wondering where to start? Or have you started but feel unclear about how to organize your writing? Looking for ideas to make your tales a better read? Are you a published author looking for help writing in memoir form?
We will discuss techniques that help enliven and enrich books of memoir, and tools to sharpen your writing and organization skills. We’ll help you move to the next level of your work.
We will discuss:
Tips on writing a memoir that readers will enjoy reading!
Detail — how much is appropriate to include?
Themes and Structure: considering a variety of ways to hook your stories together to draw readers in
Dialog: adding life and spice to your stories
Character: ways to give dimension to the people in your life, by showing, not telling your reader about them
Marketing
Objective criticism
Mistakes and windfalls
And more!
Our stellar panel:
Barry Fox
BARRY FOX is an author, ghostwriter and editor of 60-plus memoirs and books in other genres, including New York Times bestsellers.
One of his early memoirs, “Diana & Dodi: A Love Story,” described the world-famous romance from Dodi Fayed’s butler’s point of view.
Barry’s other memoirs include looks at the lives of the President of Toys ‘R Us, the Chairman of a U.S. steel company, and an Italian physician who had some amazing — and frightening — adventures while tending to the injured and ill in Nigeria.
PAOLINA MILANA is the author of “The S Word,” a memoir about secrets…those a young girl coming of age in the middle of crazy does her best to keep — secrets about her mama’s schizophrenia; secrets about her sexual awakening; secrets about her seduction that turns to rape; secrets about being the good Sicilian Catholic girl — so many secrets that silence and nearly suffocate her, until she finds the strength to save herself and to realize her own self-worth.
A former journalist for a major daily newspaper in Illinois, Paolina was born and raised in Chicago, and has made her living as a storyteller in the for-profit and non-profit worlds.
She is currently Chief Communications Officer for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the number one private funder of childhood cancer research.
She currently lives on the edge of the Angeles National Forest in California, and she blogs at PaolinaMilana.com and welcomes the opportunity to share her stories with interested audiences.
Brett Paesel
BRETT PAESEL is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller, “Mommies Who Drink: Sex, Drugs, and Other Distant Memories of an Ordinary Mom.”
Her humorous essays have appeared in several collections including “Toddler,” “Behind the Bedroom Door,” “Lights, Action, Travel,” and “Afterbirth.”
Brett has been a contributing editor to three national magazines: Violet, Wondertime, and Parents.
Her pieces have also appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles, and Salon.com. In Hollywood, Brett has developed television shows for HBO, ABC, Fox, Comedy Central, WB, Nick at Nite, and Lifetime.
Before she became a writer, she was an actress who appeared most notably in the critically acclaimed sketch show, “Mr. Show with Bob and David” on HBO.
Kate Zentall
KATE ZENTALL Writer and editor of books and magazines in New York and Los Angeles for 25+ years. Senior editor at Buzz magazine, where she also wrote two weekly columns for Buzz Weekly; before that she wrote articles, reviews, profiles, and blurbs for Los Angeles, Westways, Bon Appetit, and other magazines.
Kate became Editorial Director at DisneyOnline, then joined FamilyFun.com, online presence of the successful Disney-owned magazine, as writer/producer; segued to Reunion[now MyLife].com as marketing communications manager, after which she created blogs and shopping guides for SHOP.com and did copywriting for eHarmony and other websites.
She is currently editing, shepherding, and rewriting personal memoirs, fiction, and trade nonfiction, as well as coaching professionals and students with personal statements.
Moderator/Panelist:
Ina Hillebrandt
INA HILLEBRANDT is a writer, speaker, writing coach, and editor/publisher specializing in memoirs. She also works with fiction, to help both new and published authors create books of their life stories — or flights of fancy — with flair, and fun.
Her work includes taking the written word onstage, and she is involved in developing film and TV projects, her own and students’. Ina’s experience includes 20+ years as a creative and communications consultant for Fortune 500 companies, and 15+ years writing/coaching clients and members of the public from a variety of countries and backgrounds.
Books Ina’s written include “How to Write Your Memoirs…Fun Prompts to Make Writing…and Reading …Your Life Stories a Pleasure!” The follow-up to “How To Write Your Memoirs,” the Toolbox Edition, will be out by spring 2016. Her first book, “Pawprints,” the book of close encounters of the furry kind, became an Amazon.com best-seller, led to the Pawprints Literacy Plus™ program, and a curriculum guide for educators, “Pawprints — The Student Prints,” revised and reissued December 2012. A new edition is on the way, in eBook and print form, along with two other works in progress.
Books Ina has helped others develop and publish include the “Stories From The Heart” series, the second volume dubbed a top seller by Amazon.com; “Wine, Women, Whispers” by Alon Mintz; “Of Politics, Ladies and Bagels” by Gene Zahn; and other books of memoir and poetry.
Monday, September 28, 2015
7:30 to 9:15 p.m. (networking follows the program)
Thinking about writing the stories of your life? Wondering where to start? Or have you started but feel unclear about how to organize your writing? Looking for ideas to make your tales a better read? Are you a published author looking for help writing in memoir form?
We will discuss techniques that help enliven and enrich books of memoir, and tools to sharpen your writing and organization skills. We’ll help you move to the next level of your work.
We will discuss:
Tips on writing a memoir that readers will enjoy reading!
Detail — how much is appropriate to include?
Themes and Structure: considering a variety of ways to hook your stories together to draw readers in
Dialog: adding life and spice to your stories
Character: ways to give dimension to the people in your life, by showing, not telling your reader about them
Marketing
Objective criticism
Mistakes and windfalls
And more!
Our stellar panel:
Barry Fox
BARRY FOX is an author, ghostwriter and editor of 60-plus memoirs and books in other genres, including New York Times bestsellers.
One of his early memoirs, “Diana & Dodi: A Love Story,” described the world-famous romance from Dodi Fayed’s butler’s point of view.
Barry’s other memoirs include looks at the lives of the President of Toys ‘R Us, the Chairman of a U.S. steel company, and an Italian physician who had some amazing — and frightening — adventures while tending to the injured and ill in Nigeria.
PAOLINA MILANA is the author of “The S Word,” a memoir about secrets…those a young girl coming of age in the middle of crazy does her best to keep — secrets about her mama’s schizophrenia; secrets about her sexual awakening; secrets about her seduction that turns to rape; secrets about being the good Sicilian Catholic girl — so many secrets that silence and nearly suffocate her, until she finds the strength to save herself and to realize her own self-worth.
A former journalist for a major daily newspaper in Illinois, Paolina was born and raised in Chicago, and has made her living as a storyteller in the for-profit and non-profit worlds.
She is currently Chief Communications Officer for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the number one private funder of childhood cancer research.
She currently lives on the edge of the Angeles National Forest in California, and she blogs at PaolinaMilana.com and welcomes the opportunity to share her stories with interested audiences.
Brett Paesel
BRETT PAESEL is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller, “Mommies Who Drink: Sex, Drugs, and Other Distant Memories of an Ordinary Mom.”
Her humorous essays have appeared in several collections including “Toddler,” “Behind the Bedroom Door,” “Lights, Action, Travel,” and “Afterbirth.”
Brett has been a contributing editor to three national magazines: Violet, Wondertime, and Parents.
Her pieces have also appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles, and Salon.com. In Hollywood, Brett has developed television shows for HBO, ABC, Fox, Comedy Central, WB, Nick at Nite, and Lifetime.
Before she became a writer, she was an actress who appeared most notably in the critically acclaimed sketch show, “Mr. Show with Bob and David” on HBO.
Kate Zentall
KATE ZENTALL Writer and editor of books and magazines in New York and Los Angeles for 25+ years. Senior editor at Buzz magazine, where she also wrote two weekly columns for Buzz Weekly; before that she wrote articles, reviews, profiles, and blurbs for Los Angeles, Westways, Bon Appetit, and other magazines.
Kate became Editorial Director at DisneyOnline, then joined FamilyFun.com, online presence of the successful Disney-owned magazine, as writer/producer; segued to Reunion[now MyLife].com as marketing communications manager, after which she created blogs and shopping guides for SHOP.com and did copywriting for eHarmony and other websites.
She is currently editing, shepherding, and rewriting personal memoirs, fiction, and trade nonfiction, as well as coaching professionals and students with personal statements.
Moderator/Panelist:
Ina Hillebrandt
INA HILLEBRANDT is a writer, speaker, writing coach, and editor/publisher specializing in memoirs. She also works with fiction, to help both new and published authors create books of their life stories — or flights of fancy — with flair, and fun.
Her work includes taking the written word onstage, and she is involved in developing film and TV projects, her own and students’. Ina’s experience includes 20+ years as a creative and communications consultant for Fortune 500 companies, and 15+ years writing/coaching clients and members of the public from a variety of countries and backgrounds.
Books Ina’s written include “How to Write Your Memoirs…Fun Prompts to Make Writing…and Reading …Your Life Stories a Pleasure!” The follow-up to “How To Write Your Memoirs,” the Toolbox Edition, will be out by spring 2016. Her first book, “Pawprints,” the book of close encounters of the furry kind, became an Amazon.com best-seller, led to the Pawprints Literacy Plus™ program, and a curriculum guide for educators, “Pawprints — The Student Prints,” revised and reissued December 2012. A new edition is on the way, in eBook and print form, along with two other works in progress.
Books Ina has helped others develop and publish include the “Stories From The Heart” series, the second volume dubbed a top seller by Amazon.com; “Wine, Women, Whispers” by Alon Mintz; “Of Politics, Ladies and Bagels” by Gene Zahn; and other books of memoir and poetry.
Seminar:
Researching and Writing the Historical Novel
with Gerald Everett Jones
Saturday, September 19, 2015
The historical novel is one of the most popular genres in fiction. But writing one presents some special challenges. In this seminar Gerald Everett Jones uses his recent novel ‘Bonfire of the Vanderbilts” as a case study into the more than 15 years he spent trying to unravel the secrets hidden in Julius Stewart’s 1892 painting “The Baptism.” His searching included art history, unpublished scholars’ whitepapers, genealogy, steamship passenger records, Episcopal church history and archives, private memoirs and ephemera, oral history and even family rumors, image archives, rare book collections, and more.
In a slideshow with 100+ images, he will engage participants in an interactive process of observation for clues, running down leads, and formulating testable inferences – much of it from close inspection of details in the painting such as costume, tapestry, flora, architecture, religious practice, social custom, body language, likenesses, and painterly technique.
He will also cover how he built the collection of facts he found into a compelling fictional story — a paranoid thriller inspired by the plot of the movie “Gaslight.” All the problems of adaptation become involved, including engines of conflict, consolidation of multiple real persons into single dramatic characters, portrayals of living persons and institutions, fact checking, period environment and technology, plausibility, and relevance to today’s issues.
Participants will help answer:
What’s the difference between a historical situation and an inciting event in a narrative? How do you find the engine of drama?
If you’re not a professional historian, what research resources are available to you besides the public library? For example, how might it be possible to obtain information from rare book collections? Private papers? Family rumors?
When might it be advisable for an author to obtain life story rights for one or more characters?
How is that done?
How does the characterization of historical figures, public figures, and living private persons differ for dramatic purposes?
How and why should researchers document their sources and findings? What types of permissions might apply to use of source material?
How do historical novels relate to present-day public interest and entertainment?
What are the literary precedents of the TV cable series, and how does this form of episodic drama lend itself to historical fiction? How might issues of rights and permissions affect the sale of the novel to movies or TV?
About our presenter, Gerald Everett Jones:
Gerald Everett Jones
GERALD EVERETT JONES is a freelance writer who lives in Santa Monica, California, with his wife — actress-comedienne, writer, and animal activist Georja Umano — and two Jack Russell Terrorists, Roxie and Romeo. “Bonfire of the Vanderbilts,” about an art scandal in 1890s Paris, is his sixth novel.
Before concentrating primarily on fiction, he authored, coauthored, or ghost-wrote more than thirty business and technical books, including “How to Lie with Charts.” That book has become a classic for college-level courses in business math, and Jones has conducted seminars on the topic of honesty in financial presentations.
He expounded on his notions of male-centered humor in his collection of short stories, “Boychik Lit,” which includes an essay in which he nominates novelist and poet Peter De Vries as the father of the genre. Jones authored the boychik-lit series of Rollo Hemphill’s comic misadventures: “My Inflatable Friend,” “Rubber Babes,” and “Farnsworth’s Revenge.” His next novel was “Mr. Ballpoint,” a father-son comedy based on the true story of the Pen Wars of 1945. “Christmas Karma” is his homage to Anne Tyler, about a dysfunctional Pasadena family that has to arrange a funeral and cope with uninvited guests during the holidays.
Jones is a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Dramatists Guild, Women’s National Book Association, and Film Independent (FIND), as well as a longtime member and past director of the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC). He holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the College of Letters, Wesleyan University, where he studied under novelists Peter Boynton (“Stone Island”), F.D. Reeve (“The Red Machines”), and Jerzy Kozinski (“The Painted Bird,” “Being There”).
He blogs at Boychiklit.com. He is a top reviewer on Goodreads.com and hosts a regular book review segment on KRLA 870 AM radio in Los Angeles. His reviews are also published on the Web by Splash Magazines Worldwide.
