Announcments – Page 11 – On Screenwriting and Media with Dr. Rosanne Welch

Dr. Rosanne Welch Is Keynote Speaker at 10th Screenwriters´(hi)Stories Seminar in São Paulo, Brazil – October 15-17, 2019

I’m so excited to have been invited to be the keynote speaker at the 10th Screenwriters´(hi)Stories Seminar being held on the campus of the Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie in São Paulo, Brazil – NEXT WEEK!

Click through for more information in Portuguese and English

It’s all thanks to my friend and colleague from the Screenwriting Research Network (who is actually the president of the network this year) Carmen Sofia Brenes who suggested me to the committee planning the seminar.

I’ll be speaking on “Why Researching Screenwriters (has Always) Mattered” which will be focused on the importance of storytellers in all cultures, and how screenwriters have become this last century’s most powerful storytellers thanks to the reach of technology.

It’s a daunting thing to be asked to be a keynote speaker and I’ve been writing my speech for a few weeks now, still in a bit of a fog that such a fun thing should happen – but the tickets came today so now it’s a reality. I have to finish this speech (and the Google Slides that goes with it) – and PACK!

Here is a summary of my talk. I hope to have it recorded, too. Watch this space for information on a possible live stream of this event.

SUMMARY

To understand the world we have to understand its stories and to understand the world’s stories we must understand the world’s storytellers.

A century ago and longer those people would have been the novelists of any particular country but since the invention of film, the storytellers who reach the most people with their ideas and their lessons have been the screenwriters. My teaching philosophy is that: Words matter, Writers matter and Women writers matter. Therefore women writers shall be my focus. Why? Because they have been the far less researched and yet they are over half the population. We cannot tell the stories of the people until we know what stories the mothers have passed down to their children. Those are the stories that last. Now is the time to research screenwriters of all cultures and the stories they tell because people are finally recognizing the work of writers and appreciating how their favorite stories took shape on the page long before they were cast, or filmed, or edited. But also because streaming services make the stories of many cultures now available to a much wider world than ever before.

“America’s Forgotten Founding Father” and All Mentoris Project Books On Sale for 99¢ on Monday, October 14, 2019

In celebration of Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day, all Mentoris Project Books, including my own — America’s Forgotten Founding Father — will be on sale as Amazon Kindle eBooks for just 99¢. Check out all the books now and buy them on Monday, October 14, 2019!

His loyalty lasted a lifetime…

Surgeon, merchant, vintner, and writer Filippo Mazzei influenced American business, politics, and philosophy. Befriending Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, Mazzei was a strong liaison for others in Europe. Mazzei was Jefferson’s inspiration for the most famous line in the Declaration of Independence: “All men are created equal.”

Clearly, Mazzei had a gift of language and often used his words to share his ideas about religious freedom. Mazzei encouraged other Italians still living overseas to join him in a country rich with opportunity and promise. Often, when returning from Italy, he booked passages on ships for people who desired to travel to America and employed them on his estate—just to ensure a better, more fruitful life for everyone. During those travels, Mazzei found himself at the center of many fights for freedom.

He was truly a friend to freedom around the world.

Also from the Mentoris Project

#MentorMonday 2 – Bri Castellini – Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Today’s Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting #mentormonday spotlights the multi-talented Web series queen Bri Castellini! (IMDB)

Bri Castellini is an award-winning independent filmmaker based in Brooklyn. She has an MFA in Writing and Producing for Television and a B.A. in creative writing, studying in New York and Oregon, respectively.

By day, she’s a crowdfunding specialist for Seed&Spark, the community director for Stareable, and an adjunct professor for Long Island University-Brooklyn and Stephens College. She is known for the short films Ace and Anxious (2017, writer/director) and Buy In (2019, director/co-writer) and the web series Brains and Sam and Pat Are Depressed (2015-2016, 2017-present respectively, creator/writer/star) as well as the upcoming web series Better With You (2019, director). She has been described by collaborators as a “human bulldozer” and is honestly kind of flattered.

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Netflix Premieres “Raising Dion” by Executive Producer Carol Barbee, A Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Guest Lecturer

Support the friends of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting alumni by checking out their new works when they premiere.

This week Netflix dropped “Raising Dion” – the new show by guest lecturer Carol Barbee, who will discuss the creation of the show at our January workshop.

Read a review of Raising Dion from The Los Angeles Times

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The Divine Proportions of Luca Pacioli: A New Book By Adam Parker, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Alumni [Read Now]

Our very own Adam Parker, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting alumni just published a novel! — The Divine Proportions of Luca Pacioli

Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books | Nook

Read the First Chapter (PDF)

Listen to an interview with author, Adam Parker

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Luca Pacioli stood beside the great Leonardo da Vinci and gazed at The Last Supper. He saw immediately that something was terribly wrong.

An orphan from a small town in Italy, Pacioli came of age during the Renaissance seemingly destined for a life of struggle and obscurity. But Pacioli had the good fortune of meeting mentors who recognized his uncanny ability with numbers and introduced him to renowned artists and philosophers, royalty, and popes.

At a time when many still used Roman numerals and colleges didn’t even teach mathematics, Pacioli was determined to share his passion and make it accessible and understandable. Apprentice to an artist, but a terrible artist himself, he became a master at calculating mathematical perspective in paintings. Tasked with teaching mathematics with no textbook, he wrote his own—followed by books on double-entry bookkeeping, chess, and the divine proportion.

In this way, Luca Pacioli, “the father of accounting,” still has something to teach us—not just about mathematics—but about how we account for setbacks in our lives and how we determine what our legacy will be.

About the Author

W. A.W. Parker grew up Adam Parker, not knowing until he was twelve years old that his full name was William Adam Washburne Parker. Since this was a mouthful for a kid growing up in northeastern Montana, an area The Washington Post has dubbed “the middle of nowhere,” he remained Adam Parker until he earned his first film credit, found out he would have been the nineteenth Adam Parker on IMDb, and was thus in need of a pen name.

Adam discovered a lot of himself in Luca Pacioli. Moving around as a kid, Adam always made sure the first friend he made in every town was his local library. He studied at Harvard primarily because it is home to the oldest library system in the United States. As Luca does, Adam found that he could travel the world by roaming the stacks.

The Divine Proportions of Luca Pacioli is Adam’s first novel, but you’ll be able to read his second novel soon—about 20th-century architect Pietro Belluschi.

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Mentoris Project Podcast: The Divine Proportions of Luca Pacioli with Author, W.A.W. (Adam) Parker [Audio]

The latest podcast is about my Mentoris book and is now available on the Mentoris Web Site. Give it a listen and Subscribe for More! — Rosanne

Read The Divine Proportions of Luca Pacioli with Author, W.A.W. (Adam) Parker

Listen Now

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Subscribe Via iTunes | Google Play | TuneIn | RSS

Luca Pacioli stood beside the great Leonardo da Vinci and gazed at The Last Supper. He saw immediately that something was terribly wrong.

An orphan from a small town in Italy, Pacioli came of age during the Renaissance seemingly destined for a life of struggle and obscurity. But Pacioli had the good fortune of meeting mentors who recognized his uncanny ability with numbers and introduced him to renowned artists and philosophers, royalty, and popes. At a time when many still used Roman numerals and colleges didn’t even teach mathematics, Pacioli was determined to share his passion and make it accessible and understandable. Apprentice to an artist, but a terrible artist himself, he became a master at calculating mathematical perspective in paintings. Tasked with teaching mathematics with no textbook, he wrote his own—followed by books on double-entry bookkeeping, chess, and the divine proportion. In this way, Luca Pacioli, “the father of accounting,” still has something to teach us—not just about mathematics—but about how we account for setbacks in our lives and how we determine what our legacy will be.

About the Author

The Divine Proportions of Luca Pacioli is Adam’s first novel, but you’ll be able to read his second novel soon—about 20th-century architect Pietro Belluschi.

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Visit the Mentoris Project for more!

Also from the Mentoris Project

Want to use these books in your classroom? Contact the Mentoris Project!`

#MentorMonday – Laura Brennan – Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Today’s Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting #mentormonday goes out to none other than the Pitching Goddess herself — Laura Brennan! (IMDB) We are so lucky to have her on staff as one of our mentors!

Laura Brennan’s eclectic writing career includes television, film, theater, web series, fiction and news. Behind the scenes, she has helped production companies develop movies, TV pilots and limited series. She has taught pitching workshops to executives at Netflix and Film Victoria, as well as MFA programs and undergraduate classes at universities including Stephens College, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Boston University and National University. A graduate of Yale University, Brennan has won awards for journalism, television writing and fiction.

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Dr. Rosanne Welch Joins The Executive Committee of the Screenwriting Research Network

Presenting my talk at most recent SRN Conference in Porto, Portgual

I’m pleased to announce that I am beginning the first year of a two year term on the Executive Committee of the Screenwriting Research Network. I will assist with editing the newsletter and meet via Skype once a month with some of the most wonderful colleagues I’ve had the chance to work with so far in my career.

The Screenwriting Research Network was established in 2006 by Ian Macdonald when it became clear that there was interest across the world towards research on screenwriting, but individual scholars tended to be isolated. I’ve been a member since I attended my first conference in Madison, Wisconsin. Since then I’ve presented at – and listened to fascinating presentations – in such wonderful international locations as Leeds, New Zealand, Milan and Porto, Portugal – with Oxford and Vienna next on the list.

And I’m most excited about the fact that the 2022 conference will be held at my home campus of Stephens College!

Screenplay “Indivisible Mom” by Ilona Rossman Ho, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Alumni, is Official Selection for the Sherman Oaks Film Festival

Congratulations to Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting alumni Ilona Rossman Ho (IMDB) — her screenplay “Indivisible Mom” is an official selection for the Sherman Oaks Film Festival!

Indivisible Mom by Anon by I. Rho
A devoted, introverted mom becomes a grassroots organizer to save her friends’ healthcare and is swept into the blue wave and Congress

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Panel Discussion: Location as Character: The Craft of Writing Place – WGA – October 1, 2019

Location as Character: The Craft of Writing Place
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
7:30 PM 9:00 PM
The Writers Guild Foundation, 7000 West 3rd StreetLos Angeles, CA, 90048United States

Whether big city or small-town USA, a show’s location can have a powerful impact. We are teaming up with Columbia College Chicago on this special evening to sit down with a panel of TV writers for a discussion about how writing location, whether real or fictional, sets the scene and can shape the motivations of the characters.

Panelists:

Ayanna Floyd – Writer, Executive Producer, The Chi
Anthony Sparks – Writer, Executive Producer, Queen Sugar
Stay tuned for more panelist announcements!

Moderated by Dr. Rosanne Welch.

Doors open at 7pm. Event starts at 7:30pm.

All events advertised on our Events page are open to anyone who wants to buy a ticket—not just WGA members!

In the case the event is sold out, we will have a first come, first serve stand-by line at the event. The stand-by line does not guarantee entry into the event and we will only accept credit card transactions for any released seats.

Proceeds benefit the Foundation’s library, archive and other outreach programs.

Got a question about events? E-mail us at events@wgfoundation.org.