Alumni News

The NCWA 2002 1st Place winning story "20th Century Ghost" by Joe Hill has been published in the High Plains Literary Review [Triple Issue, 2002, Vol. XXII, No. 1-3], will be reprinted in an anthology, and it has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize! Bravo! to Joe Hill !

The first NCWA alumnus to be published in Verbicide is Michael Weinreb. Michael's 3rd Place winning story, "Boy, Girl, Etc." from the 2002 competition appears in the winter issue, Verbicide #7. Michael has also just sold his first collection of short stories to a small press publisher. We wish him congratulations!

The Fall 2003 issue of Verbicide will showcase the Top 5 poets from the NCWA 2002 competition year.

The first NCWA alumnus to be published in Verbicide is Michael Weinreb. Michael's 3rd Place winning story, "Boy, Girl, Etc." from the 2002 competition, will appear in the winter issue of Verbicide, available in December 2002.

Support your fellow writers! If your area newsstand or bookstore does not yet carry Verbicide, please ask for it and tell the store buyer that DESERT MOON distributes Verbicide throughout the United States and CANADA. If you still cannot get hold of a copy contact us via E-mail, phone or fax to order one.

The NCWA 2002 short story 1st Place winning story "20th Century Ghost" by Joe Hill has been published in the High Plains Literary Review [Triple Issue, 2002, Vol. XXII, No. 1-3] and has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize!

New Century Writer connected 1998 alumnus LISA KORS to investor funding to assist in the production of her screenplay DINNER AND A MOVIE. Lisa's film has won a BEST DIRECTOR and BEST COMEDY FEATURE award at two film festivals. The film has played at the Nantucket Film Festival, and most recently DINNER AND A MOVIE was been selected as the closing night film at FilmColumbia, a film festival in Chatham, NY. Visit Lisa's Bio page, and link to the official Web site for DINNER AND A MOVIE. Film Critic Carrie Rickey, writing in the Village Voice, named DINNER AND A MOVIE the best film of 2001 without distribution.

Jan Balakian was the 3rd Place winner in the NCWA 2000 with her screenplay EVERYONE'S DEPRESSED. Shortly after winning, independent director/producer, Yanna Brandt picked up the screenplay for development. Filming of the feature film wrapped in early August 2001.

The film was screened on May 22, 2002 at the Walter Reade Theatre (Lincoln Center), New York City. 250 people were in attendance -- a full house! Now Yanna and Jan await further word from the distributors who attended the screening. www.everyonesdepressed.com

Sinan Unel won First Place in the NCWA 2001 screenplay/stage play contest with his screenplay RACE POINT. Sinan newest stage play, Pera Palas played to excellent reviews at New Haven's famed LONG WHARF THEATRE. Directed by Steven Williford. The play ran from Jan 16-Feb 17, 2002.

Pat Gallant, who won 7^th Place in 1999 with her short story "Something Blue", has also placed numerous times as a finalist in several New Century Writer contests since 1998, In 2000 Pat's essay, "So long Lives This" was published in Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul. Pat has sold articles and stories to markets such as The Saturday Evening Post and Writer's Digest. She was also a finalist in the 1991 PEN Syndicated Fiction Project and one of seven finalists to the grand prize in the 1999 William Faulkner Literary Competition. She can be reached at 212-615-6927 or by writing to PO Box 42, Cathedral Station, New York, NY 10025.

NCWA contest alumnus Justin Swingle continues to make strides after being awarded 10th place in the NCWA 1998 with his powerful screenplay, BLACK ANGEL (retitled JOURNEY TO LEWARO) which was later a semi-finalist in the American Accolades contest. Visit Justin's site at www.justinswingle.com.

Justin won 2nd Place in Category II for the NCWA 2001 contest with his rewrite of JOURNEY TO LEWARO.

Edward Jordan was a Top 10 winner in the NCWA 2000 competition with his screenplay, ROBBI'S ANGEL. Shortly after winning a Top 10 position ROBBI'S ANGEL was optioned by Gross-Weston Productions. In 1997 Marcy Gross and Ann Weston were honored as TV Producers of the Year by the American Film Institute, in honor of their outstanding television movie productions. The details of the option were not made available.

Murray Spitzer's screenplay THE VIKING BOATS was a Finalist in the NCWA 1999 competition. Murray reports that after an additional polish THE VIKING BOATS was most recently awarded second prize in the international screenplay competition conducted by the American Screenwriters Association. This well crafted World War II story begins with an authentic docudrama of the miraculous rescue of the trapped British Army off the beaches of Dunkirk in May, 1940. This opening sets up the fictional story to follow, and Hitler's threat to invade a seemingly helpless England with a fleet of 10,000 mysterious, hidden "Viking boats." See ASA news at www.asascreenwriters.com.

Rocky Share, 2nd Place winner in the NCWA 1999 for his screenplay YOUNG SANTA later received financing for his record company, Dish Records to launch his new album "Naked Blade", by Diesel Cafe. You can download Mp3's and read about his projects at http://www.dieselcafe.net. Rocky is also executive producing HOUNDDOG, a $4.5 million dollar film starring Robin-Wright Penn, Lynn Redgrave, and Chris Cooper (the neighbor in American Beauty). Isaac Hayes is writing the soundtrack. The film's producer has 20 producing credits with Miramax and Disney. Debra Kempmeier is the Writer-Director. Rocky also kindly tells us, "As a result of the New Century Writer Competition and attending Sundance, I got representation at an agency called Metropolitan which is having very positive results. I also have a lit manager, Daniel Doty at Inneract. All is well and we are proceeding to go out with my scripts."

In 1998 Janyce Lapore was a Top 10 NCWA winner with her stage play, FERRIS WHEEL. Because of her contest placement FERRIS WHEEL premiered off-Broadway in New York City in March of 2000 and played again in June of 2000 during a three week engagement at the Henry Heymann Theatre in Pittsburgh. Directed by Richard Keitel (Harvey Keitel's nephew). Visit Janyce's Web page.

In November, 2000 Janyce's screenplay adaptation of Ferris Wheel, entitled SCREAMING MY HEART OUT, was produced in a screenplay reading at the CSV Cultural Arts Center.

1998 alumnus MIKE BARANIK, of Prague, Czech Republic, has signed a contract to pen an original script for a group of European producers. The film, of which the title and subject are confidential at this time, is budgeted at 100 million dollars. Mike won 4th Place in the NCWA 1998 competition for his screenplay BENEATH THE FLOWER GARDEN. The quality of this script landed him the new writing deal. Two different producers are also interested in optioning the FLOWER GARDEN script at the same time. We'll see who wins the battle. More on Michal Baranik.

Our creative advisor, GARY GOSHGARIAN, has published his most recent thriller under his pen name Gary Braver from TOR/FORGE. Visit the GRAY MATTER Web site for a preview.

Gary has just signed a three book deal with TOR. We can now expect more thrilling books from Gary over the coming years.