Spring News

As old man Winter tosses his last hateful arctic breath our way, I want to share a few announcements that dare to dream that Spring is on her gentle way.

New Class Opportunities

SCRP 266 Graphic Novel Art & Industry

Interested in comics and graphic novels? Think you might want to write for them someday? Take a class in our new Graphic Novel Writing concentration. This class explores the history and business of the medium and is taught by industry publishing vet Rich Johnson.Please note: due to an incorrect Pre-req in the catalog, you need to fill out an override, but this class is available to anyone!

SCRP 290 Game Universe & Story

First in the sequence of courses for the new Narrative Game Writing concentration. Level up and turn your passion for gaming into a future career opportunity.

SCRP 353 TV Drama Practicum

Are you ready for the Writer's Room? Join the team that's writing the next episode of Off Campus, the half-hour, single-camera series produced by the Television Production Program. It's your chance to get your name on an Emmy-winning TV Series before you've even left Drexel. Please note: due to an incorrect pre-req in the catalog, you need to fill out an over-ride, but this class is open to everyone who has completed SCRP 270, Screenwriting I.

Writing Opportunities

Mighty Writers

This community-based organization runs writing workshops for West Philly youth to help them realize their goals of artistic expression. There is an opportunity for a small group of students who want to give back to the community to create a Screenplay or Stage Play writing workshop for all ages. You can make a real difference in someone's life. Contact me for more information.

Drexel Hyperloop

A group of Drexel students is competing in the SpaceX Hyperloop competition, to boost a test pod into space. They're looking for media makers and screenwriters to participate in the project. E-mail me if you're interested and I'll keep you posted as I have more information.

Special Events

Jeff Vlaming

I hope you all got a chance to talk with Jeff Vlaming at one of the many events he attended in February. One of the best opportunities you get from being in a large University is the special even programming we can provide. You get to brush up against industry leaders in all kinds of settings.

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Zootopia Event

Digital Media is sponsoring an event with the directors of Disney's upcoming release, Zootopia. It's this Wednesday in Stein Auditorium at 3:00. It's your chance to get some behind-the-scenes info on what it's like to create an animated feature. Click the link to RSVP.

Please contact me or stop by my office if you have any questions about any of these opportunities.  I promise more faculty and alumni news in my next blast during spring term. For now, bundle up and stay warm!

Writer's Room Closed Tonight

Sorry, gang. Last minute emergency forces the Writer's Room to close tonight. I'll schedule extra open office hours tomorrow from 1:30-3:30 if you've got things to talk about. The Writer's Room will return Monday, January 25th!

New Year - Same Writer's Room!

Welcome to 2016!

The writers room starts a new season tonight. Professor Kaufhold will be hosting Monday night open forums. Walk in and talk about your stories, films, scripts, tv, whatever. Snacks and music, too.

6-9 PM in Crossings 026 (The Audio Classroom).

Playwriting Competition

I am writing today to share with you that in 2016, the Adirondack Shakespeare Company is sponsoring its first annual Dramatic Writing Competition, encouraging the development of new works for the stage that explore the broad theme of mental illness.

The competition consists of two categories: Full-Length and Short/One-Act plays. The deadline for timely submissions is June 1, 2016. Late submissions will be accepted through July 1, 2016 but will incur an additional fee.

FULL-LENGTH
Prize: $1,000 and a staged reading of the piece by a cast of professional actors. Other finalists will receive $250 and a workshop of their piece with a producer and actors from the Company.
Recommended Length: 60-120 minutes.
Submission fee: $30 (covers a thorough and fair review of submissions by our panel of judges)
To submit, visit: https://adkshakes.submittable.com/submit/49703

SHORT/ONE-ACT
Prize: $500 and a staged reading of the piece by a cast of professional actors. Other finalists will receive $100 and a workshop of their piece with a producer and actors from the Company. Finalists' work may also be selected for a staged reading.
Recommended Length: 10-30 minutes.
Submission fee: $30 (covers a thorough and fair review of submissions by our panel of judges)
To submit, visit: https://adkshakes.submittable.com/submit/50107

All genres and styles welcome: comedy, tragedy, or otherwise. Writers at any stage of their career are welcome to submit their unproduced work for consideration. Screenplays and teleplays are eligible, but please note that winning submissions will be presented in a theatrical context, not allotted the resources to produce the work for the screen.

ADK Shakespeare will be working with the New York chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to present a series of workshops and discussions addressing mental health issues and the use of Theatre as a tool in dealing with them as part of its first annual Hamlet Conference in upstate New York in Autumn, 2016. The Company will produce staged readings of the competition finalists for conference attendees. In this way, we hope to accomplish some good for those suffering with mental illness and the people that care for them.

Please feel to share the details of the competition with the students, faculty, and staff in your program, as well as whomever else you think may be interested; the more voices we hear from the more good we will be able to do. I have attached a flyer with the details of the competition to this message. If you are able to print the flyer and post it somewhere in your department, we'd appreciate it.

If you have any questions, please send them to:
info@adkshakes.org
ATTN: Patrick Siler, Executive Director

Study Abroad Information - THIS WEEK!

Grad School in NOLA?

As the University of New Orleans grows the playwriting track of our creative writing MFA, we would love to see students from Drexel apply. Hopefully, you can help us connect with your students. Attached is an electronic copy of our program’s new promotional poster, which should be easy to distribute to your faculty and students. A physical poster will arrive in your mailbox in the very near future, and I hope you’ll be able to hang it somewhere prominent.

With a combination of competitive graduate assistantships and university scholarships available for writers, UNO is one of the most affordable programs in the nation, http://www.uno.edu/about/at-a-glance.aspx. Recently named a “Program to Watch” by Publisher’s Weekly, we’re also listed in the top 25 underrated MFA programs in country by The Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-abramson/underrated-mfa-programs_b_850147.html. Our students also have access to a unique, summer study abroad program that we’ve developed with the University College Cork, in Ireland. In town, our playwriting students have multiple opportunities to engage with the mushrooming theatre community of New Orleans.

If you would like more information about the creative writing MFA at the University of New Orleans, feel free to contact me at your convenience; I’m happy to chat. I’d also encourage you to check out our web page at http://www.uno.edu/creative-writing-mfa/index.aspx. Thank you very much for your time. Hopefully, we’ll be able to provide a good home for a few of your more ambitious students.

All best,


Justin Maxwell

Assistant Professor of English
The Creative Writing Workshop
The University of New Orleans
jmaxwell@uno.edu
651.238.2913

Sports Film Contest -- Real$$