I don't talk a lot about what I do in Hollywood, largely because I sign confidentiality agreements, but my main activity is adaptation.  In the last year I've completed more projects than I have fingers and toes, mostly adapting published books for the screen.  It's a fun challenge making someone's literary opus a visual feast, and it keeps the dog and me in new shoes.

And it's happening right now.  Take a ride on the Orphan Train when composer Doug Levine and I share a reading of this developing work in support of The Microscopic Opera Company.  March 18, 2012 in Pittsburgh, PA.  Tickets are available here.

"Orphan Train" will be performed this evening as part of Northern Michigan University's Ten-Minute Play Festival.  If you're in town, be sure to check it out.

Next fall I look forward to spending a month in the Bay area for the 2012 Djerassi Residency Award/San Francisco Film Society Screenwriting Fellowship.  Learn more about the residency here.

Good news!  Composer Doug Levine and I will be having our second workshop of Orphan Train, our opera for young audiences, with the Microscopic Opera Company.  We look forward to an invigorating collaboration with Erica Olden and Andres Cladera in March.  Check out their cool website here.

I recently got word that Program Rose is a finalist for the Djerassi Residency Award/San Francisco Screenwriting Fellowship.  You can check out the link to last year's winner here.  I've been rewriting this screenplay, trying to get the journey right for my old man hero who falls in love with his caretaker robot.  It's terrific to see this work pay off, and I wouldn't mind spending a month in the bay area next fall reworking the piece further.

Next week I'm off to The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis for a workshop of Skirt with director Suzy Messerole, dramaturg Michael Elyanow, and actors Anna Sundberg, Peter Christian Hansen, Sam Bardwell, and Nathan Christopher.  I'm excited by the changes already made in the play and seeing it in action with a new terrific team.  All hail, PW Center!

If you are in LA, please check out the Playwrights Union Reading Festival with new plays by Jennie Webb, Deron Bos, Larry Pontius, Marek Glinski, and Lisa Kenner.  I'm honored to be a part of this group, and I hope you'll join me in June to see what's cooking with LA new plays.

After a tragic accident, Bethany Galagher's disabled brother is all her teachers can talk about, so she wears a short skirt to school to change the subject.  It works.

Join me May 13th at 7pm for a reading of Skirt, directed by Jeanette D. Farr and featuring Claire Benoist, Sean Wolflick, Jeremiah Munsey, Julianne Homokay, and Jeff Hohimer.  Dramatists Guild Friday Night Footlights are free and held at the Academy for New Musical Theatre at 5628 Vineland in North Hollywood.  Hope to see you there!

Last week I met my new screenwriting mentor from Women in Film.  Michele Gendelman is an experienced writer with credits from PBS to Newhart.  Michele will be guiding me over the next year as I deepen my knowledge about screenwriting and continue to explore opportunities.  I'm honored to be a part of the Women In Film Mentoring Program and look forward to a great year working with Michele.

Or, Why I Quit Facebook.  First of all, you can't quit.  You can 'deactivate,' which means they have you stored in there somewhere.  All due respect to its innovation, I've always had a problem with the privacy issues; but what it came down to was a desire for personal human interaction, the kind that Facebook can't provide.  So, I'm gonna cowboy it for awhile and see if I can maintain my friendships with a measly old email account, a cell phone, and this website.

I was recently selected as a Diversity/Inspired Fellow at Writers Boot Camp, an organization committed to discovering, training and launching new screenwriting, television writing, diverse and inspired talent.  My fellowship includes a year of training and support.  What a great way to get some writing done!

Yesterday I was invited to join the union, the Playwrights Union to be exact.  It's a network of thirty LA theatre artists who write for stage, TV, and film.  I'm looking forward to the camaraderie and their writers' challenge in February!

I'm thrilled to announce that my ten-minute play "Shrouds" has been selected for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Region II Festival at Towson University in January.  I recently rewrote this piece to share with my fellow writers at Sewanee Writers' Conference and feel honored to see it recognized for further development.

Just finished my first LA job rewriting a screenplay for an independent producer.  Of course, the title of the project must remain under lock and key for now; but the story is full of heart and, hopefully, will get that much deserved look by the right people.

After a year of traveling with my plays, I've landed in LA to pursue some opportunities in screenwriting.  Los Angeles is a great city for playwrights, too!  More on that later...

Composer Douglas Levine and I held the first developmental workshop for our new family opera, Orphan Train.  Under the illuminating direction of Kellee Van Aken, actors Gabby McClinton, Sheridan Singleton, Alex Noble, and Lisa Ann Goldsmith showed where the piece sang, literally.  Special thanks to Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama for the space and time!

The Playwrights' Center of Minneapolis honored me with a 2010-2011 Core Apprenticeship.  This includes a developmental workshop and a yearlong mentorship with playwright Stephanie Fleischmann.

To learn more about this program, check here.

I will be attending the 2010 Sewanee Writers Conference as a Walter E. Dakin Playwriting Fellow.

For more information on the conference, click here.