Honored to announce that my play, "Miss Keller's Second Book" is a Semi-Finalist in this year's Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center is the country’s preeminent organization dedicated to the development of new works and new voices for the American theater. The O’Neill has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and 2,500 emerging artists. Scores of projects developed at the O’Neill have gone on to full production at other theaters around the world, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, and major regional theaters.

In "Miss Keller's Second Book," it’s been nearly 50 years since the notoriously reclusive Agnes Keller published her first and only book. Now, with her protective sister recently deceased, Agnes must face the pressures from outside her small sanctuary as she grapples with the inevitability of change, the tangled tethers of family, and the question of an artist’s obligation to the world.

What an honor! I've been invited to join The Playwrights Union, which is a collective of theater artists writing for stage, tv, and film, who provide a community of professional and personal support for each other in Los Angeles. Membership is limited to thirty playwrights and "extended to those who demonstrate dedication and ambition as writers, as well as a spirit of generosity toward their colleagues." 

I look forward to working with and being inspired by these talented and prolific writers. A huge thanks to the membership for the inclusion.

Perhaps you're reading this blog from a homey spot in Hamilton, Ontario. Or maybe you're perched someplace lovely in Perth, Australia. It's possible you're wishing you had something new and truly fun to look forward to. What a crazy coincidence: y'all are in luck!

My short film "Open House" is an official selection in The Hamilton Comedy Film Festival (Oct 1-3, 2015) and Australia's 18th Over The Fence Comedy Film Festival (Oct 23-25, 2015 in Perth, plus a tour throughout Australia in 2016)! Both these festivals promise nothing but hilarity and joy. And don't we all need just a bit more hilarity and joy right now, for heaven's sake?

Yes. Yes, we do.

If you're able to attend either of these fun-fests, please clap and cheer extra loudly for "Open House" -- the quirky little short that could!  (And if you happen to be able to attend both these festivals, you are the focus of my extreme jealousy, so, congrats!)

Out of 7,442 scripts submitted to the 2015 Academy Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, I'm happy that my screenplay "Twang" made it into the top 7%. I feel fortunate that not only do I feel like my writing has improved (last year, a different script of mine was in the top 20%), but that I'm lucky enough to receive validation about that feeling from such a prestigious organization. 

"Twang" is the story of a 30-something divorced mom from rural Tennessee whose life is spinning out of control, who secretly returns to a fledgling career she abandoned long ago as a Nashville country music singer.

I'm eager to dig back in, re-write it with helpful comments from the Fellowship readers in September, and improve the script. Next year: finals!

Meanwhile, congrats to all the scripts and writers going to the next round!

In what Screencraft called "perhaps the most extended deliberations in ScreenCraft’s history," the judges selected my comedy screenplay "Maxed" as the #3 best comedy script in their 2015 Screencraft Comedy Screenplay Contest. I'm thrilled and honored to be recognized in such a large and distinguished field, and I've never been happier about shouting "I'm #3! I'm #3!"

What's "Maxed" about? When the son of an ex-hacker-turned-corporate-drone gets kidnapped, the unlikely hero must implant an experimental (and evil?) programming chip to get his boy back. It's a quirky take on that action/kidnapping/vigilante-style genre, which I love AND love to mess with.

Big thanks to all the judges in the contest!

One of my comedy feature screenplays, "Maxed," is a quarter-finalist in the 2015 Screencraft Comedy Screenplay Contest!

What's "Maxed" about? When the son of an ex-hacker-turned-corporate-drone gets kidnapped, the unlikely hero must implant an experimental (and evil?) programming chip to get his boy back. (I've always thought those kidnapped-kid/action films were perfectly set up for an oddball comedic take, so I took it.)

Thanks to the folks at Screencraft!

So excited and honored that my short film "Open House" was selected as the Best Comedy in the 2015 Women in Comedy Festival Film Night! Films were screened and awards distributed at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge on April 22, at the first Film Night of the 7th Annual WICF.

Bringing together women and men from all walks of comedy: improv, sketch, stand up, musical comedy, and storytelling stand up, WICF provides Boston comedy audiences a chance to see both local and nationally known comedians, and this year, the festival opened with live performances from Lily Tomlin, Jane Lynch, and Cristela.

A huge thank you to everyone involved with the festival, and congratulations to all the other films selected. Click here to view "Open House" on Funnyordie.com!