KUCI: Get the Funk Out!
Life’s a Rollercoaster Ride! Stories of Inspiration and Change
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Monday Apr 15, 2019
Monday Apr 15, 2019
"The biggest challenge as a filmmaker was realizing there is a fine line between humanity and exploitation. Each time someone shoots up they could overdose and die. This is as real as it gets, people are overdosing and dying at alarming rates. We wanted the doc to speak the truth, and to start an honest conversation about what's really happening in the streets. In order to do that you need to document and not produce. As a filmmaker I needed to understand what I'm okay with, can I accept the responsibility when someone dies in front of me because I did not prevent them from sticking a needle full of fentanyl in their vein. Documenting the heroin epidemic is tantamount to reporting from the frontlines of a war...people die, are you willing to get out of your comfort zone to document the truth?" - Pat McGee
AMERICAN RELAPSE
Drug overdoses killed more Americans last year than the Vietnam War.
Recovering addicts Frankie and Allie spend their lives helping other addicts, but can they stay clean themselves?
AMERICAN RELAPSE is a feature documentary about the ripped-from-the-headlines heroin epidemic and the corrupt underground rehab industry that has sprung up around it in Southern Florida.
THE AWARD-WINNING FILM THAT INSPIRED VICELAND'S HIT SERIES ‘DOPESICK NATION’
OPENING IN LA & NY ON MARCH 29
AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL ON APRIL 2
Best Feature Documentary, Rhode Island International Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary, Alexandria Film Fest
MINT Spirit Award (Top Festival Prize), Montana International Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary, Laughlin International Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary, Mammoth Film Festival
Best Feature Documentary, Other Venice Film Festival
Social Awareness Award, Orlando Film Festival
Recovering addicts Frankie and Allie spend their lives helping other addicts, but can they stay clean themselves?
AMERICAN RELAPSE tells the story of two people fighting to make a difference against the devastating heroin epidemic that’s spawning a billion-dollar treatment industry. Against the odds, in an “Us vs. the World” mentality, two recovering addicts spend their lives pulling needles out of the arms of addicts and assist in placing them in reputable treatment facilities. The film features Frankie and Allie who live and work in Delray Beach, Florida, the Rehab Capital of America, now referred to by some as the Relapse Capital of America. They allowed the film crew all access for one weekend. What transpires over 72 hours is not only captivating and raw, but a heartbreaking rollercoaster ride.
Frankie is 38 and has relapsed multiple times but continues to operate his F*ck Heroin Foundation with his mother. Allie is 28 and has been clean and sober for 10 years. While they are at different points on the recovery spectrum, they both share a deep belief in the 12th step: helping others. These unlikely and imperfect heroes opened their lives for the world to see, hoping to shine a light anywhere and any way they can. In the process, they show viewers and addicts alike that despite seemingly impossible odds and devastating damage, empathy and hope can restore a little bit of humanity to those who struggle and can sometimes save their lives.
AMERICAN RELAPSE is directed by Pat McGee and Adam Linkenhelt, and is produced by Pat McGee Pictures in association with Sorted Pictures and Next Up Productions. Executive producers include Pat McGee and Stacy McPeak for Pat McGee Pictures, Ian and Jaime Manheimer of Next Up Productions and producers Terry Hahin and Adam Linkenhelt for sorted Pictures. The film has a running time of 105 minutes and will not be rated by the MPAA.
Pat McGee Pictures will release the film in Los Angeles and New York exclusively for one week beginning March 29. The film will screen at the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Los Angeles and Cinema Village in New York City.
Gravitas Ventures will distribute the film on VOD beginning April 2nd. Among the many platforms include iTunes, Google Play, Vimeo, and Amazon.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/american-relapse/id1451031005
To view the trailer, go to: https://vimeo.com/309928484
For more information, go to: www.americanrelapse.com
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4/15/19 9:30am pst - Award-winning author Marc Graham joins host Janeane live on KUCI 88.9fm
CASTLE ROCK, CO—Award-winning author Marc Graham creates a fresh tale that weaves history and legend in Song of Songs: A Novel of the Queen of Sheba (April 16, 2019, Blank Slate Press). Using the newest archaeological finds and linguistic research, Graham constructs an accurate depiction of the Middle East in Old Testament times while bringing to light an important but rarely touched upon historical figure.
Lift the veil of legend for the untold story of Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and Bathsheba, wife and mother of Israel’s first kings. When Makeda comes of age she inherits what her father has left behind. Her city is on the brink of destruction as a crumbling dam threatens to wash away everything that Makeda has known. Graham’s characters explore the idea of familial honor in times of cultural disruption, their individual paths in light of their strong mythic beliefs, and to give voice to powerful women in history often neglected.
Award-winning author Marc Graham dives into a much glossed over historical figure in Song of Songs: A Novel of the Queen of Sheba (Blank Slate Press, April 16, 2019). Using the latest archaeological findings and linguistic research, Graham constructs an accurate depiction of the Old Testament Middle East to revive the untold story of Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and Bathsheba, wife and mother of Israel’s first kings.
In an interview, Marc Graham discusses:
>The most recent archeological and linguistic research that led him to write Makeda’s story
>The current crisis in Yemen, Makeda’s homeland, and his partnership with Zakat Foundation of America
>His background as an award-winning author and how storytelling can be a tool to broaden perspectives and transform lives
>His use of Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Ethiopian, and Masonic myths for this non-traditional retelling of the Queen of Sheba’s story
>How the shift from matriarchal polytheism to patriarchal monotheism changed our view of history
>The importance of story, myth, and lore to social development
>The power of myth in the #MeToo era
Marc is pledging half of the book's proceeds to Yemen humanitarian relief and is partnering with the Zakat Foundation of America who will be matching his funds.
Monday Apr 15, 2019
Monday Apr 15, 2019
CASTLE ROCK, CO—Award-winning author Marc Graham creates a fresh tale that weaves history and legend in Song of Songs: A Novel of the Queen of Sheba (April 16, 2019, Blank Slate Press). Using the newest archaeological finds and linguistic research, Graham constructs an accurate depiction of the Middle East in Old Testament times while bringing to light an important but rarely touched upon historical figure.
Lift the veil of legend for the untold story of Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and Bathsheba, wife and mother of Israel’s first kings. When Makeda comes of age she inherits what her father has left behind. Her city is on the brink of destruction as a crumbling dam threatens to wash away everything that Makeda has known. Graham’s characters explore the idea of familial honor in times of cultural disruption, their individual paths in light of their strong mythic beliefs, and to give voice to powerful women in history often neglected.
Award-winning author Marc Graham dives into a much glossed over historical figure in Song of Songs: A Novel of the Queen of Sheba (Blank Slate Press, April 16, 2019). Using the latest archaeological findings and linguistic research, Graham constructs an accurate depiction of the Old Testament Middle East to revive the untold story of Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and Bathsheba, wife and mother of Israel’s first kings.
In an interview, Marc Graham discusses:
>The most recent archeological and linguistic research that led him to write Makeda’s story
>The current crisis in Yemen, Makeda’s homeland, and his partnership with Zakat Foundation of America
>His background as an award-winning author and how storytelling can be a tool to broaden perspectives and transform lives
>His use of Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Ethiopian, and Masonic myths for this non-traditional retelling of the Queen of Sheba’s story
>How the shift from matriarchal polytheism to patriarchal monotheism changed our view of history
>The importance of story, myth, and lore to social development
>The power of myth in the #MeToo era
Marc is pledging half of the book's proceeds to Yemen humanitarian relief and is partnering with the Zakat Foundation of America who will be matching his funds.
Marc Graham was raised in Michigan before attending Rice University in Texas, where he studied mechanical engineering. After spending several years traveling the country with his wife, he eventually landed in Colorado where he lives along the Rocky Mountains. His first novel, Of Ashes and Dust, won the Paul Gillette Memorial Writing Contest and National Writers Association Manuscript Contest. Graham is an actor, speaker, story coach, shamanic practitioner, and whisky aficionado. When not on stage, in a pub, or bound to his computer, he can be found traipsing about the foothills and mountains with his wife and their Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. Learn more at https://www.marc-graham.com/.
An Interview with Marc Graham
1. What kind of research did you have to do to dig into the Queen of Sheba’s history?
Don’t tell Marie Kondo, but there was a significant expansion of my home library. I scoured recent (and some much older) books on history (both mainstream and heretical), comparative religion, and archaeology—including web sites dedicated to current excavations in Jerusalem and elsewhere. I also dug deep into the lore: Jewish, Ethiopian, Arabic, and Masonic. As it turns out, what we consider documented history begins around 500 years after the events of my story, so there were huge gaps in our knowledge that I had to fill in as best I could. I’ve tried to color within the lines of solid archaeological findings, while taking creative license with the story in between.
2. What first inspired you to write Makeda’s little known story?
I’ve known the traditional, Biblical story of the Queen of Sheba since early childhood. When I entered Freemasonry in my late 20s, I discovered a whole new lore around the building of the temple in Jerusalem. One legend in particular caught my attention, about a love triangle between King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, and Hiram Abiff (the temple-builder). I began researching more variations on the story, and it wasn’t long before Makeda began whispering more of her story to me.
3. Could you share what you plan to do with the proceeds of the book?
I’ve identified the land of Sheba as ancient Saba, located in what is today Yemen. Where a magnificent dam once watered the desert to feed a nation, today millions of people lack food, clean water, and basic medical care. The ongoing civil war in Yemen has created what the UN considers the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, putting more than 8 million people (some figures go as high as 22 million) on the brink of starvation. To honor Makeda and her dedication to her people, I’ve pledged half of my proceeds from the book and subsidiary sales to Yemen humanitarian relief. The Zakat Foundation of America has graciously stepped in with matching funds to provide what aid we can to a war-ravaged people.
4. You went to school for Mechanical Engineering. How did you get on such a creative path of author, speaker, and story coach?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been both a storyteller and a tinkerer. On the one hand I created imaginary worlds, while on the other I took apart the objects of the real world and put them back together again—hopefully without too many leftover parts. Engineering is about creative problem-solving, identifying a need or challenge, and crafting a satisfying solution. Storytelling serves much the same function, whether the need be sheer entertainment or social change. Since many of my stories involve lost or forgotten or hidden history, I have to reverse-engineer the accepted story to get to a plausible version of “what actually happened.”
5. What do you hope people take away from Makeda’s story?
Mainly, I just want people to enjoy the 10 hours or so they’ll spend in this world, to come away richer for the experience. If there’s a larger takeaway or theme, I suppose it would be that each of us has the power to choose how we respond to our circumstances, even if we can’t control the circumstances themselves. We all have the power to change our world, whether that world extends a few blocks or around the globe. And it’s important to recognize that truth is not the story the world tells about you, or that you tell to the world—it’s the story you tell with your actions that matters.
Song of Songs brings two powerful women fighting for power and love to light that history had forgotten.
Monday Apr 15, 2019
Monday Apr 15, 2019
Get ready to fall in love....the wrong way!
Vision Films presents the hilarious new romantic comedy,
THE WAY WE WEREN’T
Available on DVD/VOD on February 12, 2019
Vision Films, DiMuccio Entertainment Syndicate, Bella Pictures and Epic Entertainment Enterprises are delighted to present the laugh-out-loud comedy about the lies we tell for love, The Way We Weren’t. Shedding a light on the hilarity at which we change ourselves in order to make ourselves more attractive as a potential partner, this feel-good, romantic comedy directed by Rick Hays took away top honors at the 2018 Portland Comedy Film Festival with it’s refreshing, new take on the story of a mismatched couple.
Starring Fiona Gubelmann (The Good Doctor, Wilfred, One Day at a Time) and Ben Lawson (The Good Place, 13 Reasons Why, Designated Survivor) as the picture perfect, but ill-fated couple, and featuring Amber Stevens West (Greek, The Amazing Spider-Man), Keith Powell (30 Rock, Syrup), Tobin Bell (Saw, The Flash) and Alyssa Diaz (The Rookie, Ray Donovan), The Way We Weren’t tells the tale of two people meet just after their previous relationships have imploded and in an effort to make themselves more appealing, exaggerate, fib and outright lie. When they move in together, the deception unravels with the most amusing and spectacular of ways.
The Way We Weren’t will be available on DVD and VOD just in time for Valentine’s Day on February 12, 2019.
Since meeting online, Charlotte (Fiona Gubelmann) and Brandon (Ben Lawson) have fudged, padded, glossed over, reimagined, and outright lied about everything in an attempt to be each other’s perfect match. But despite overcoming all the obstacles there’s one thing their 10-day-old marriage might not survive...each other! After they said their “I dos” the fronting is about to end and they’re going to get a hilarious, hellish and surprising look at just who they’ve vowed to spend the rest of their lives with. Will familiarity breed contempt... or bliss?
Writer/producer Brian DiMuccio explains that the inspiration for The Way We Weren’t actually came from an experience he had in the early 2000’s. “We met one week before she moved to Spain for a year for work and our getting-to-know-you period wasn't unlike Charlotte and Brandon's in the movie,” he says. “We both gave into the temptation to present heavily idealized versions of ourselves that lead to some disillusionment when she moved back to LA. Our story ended badly but as they say, tragedy plus time equals comedy!”
“We hope that people come away from the film remembering that being in love, even when it's messy, maddening, and feels like a sucker-punch to the heart, is always grand!” DiMuccio continues. “And it’s infinitely better than the alternative”.
“Brandon’s problem is an inability to commit to even the simplest things in life”, Ben Lawson explains of his character. “His come-to-Jesus moment is that if he’s ever going to find happiness he needs to face this commitment phobia...and what better way to do that than to marry the next person he meets!”
“I think most people in this modern era of dating and social media can relate to having too many options and the fear of missing out on something better,” Lawson continues. “ I think it’s true that at a point you need to block out all the noise and channel your efforts into one thing, one person, one endeavor, whatever it is. In France they say “le mieux est l’ennemi du bien” The best is the enemy of the good. I think once we accept that there’s always going to be something better, that even when we achieve our goals we immediately set new ones, we can begin to enjoy what we have and allow ourselves some happiness”.
“The Way We Weren’t is the perfect romantic comedy to release on Valentine’s Day for all us who can’t seem to find the perfect match, or… maybe our “perfect” match is not perfect, and then this is what makes him or her just perfect”, says Lise Romanoff, CEO/Managing Director of Vision Films.
ORDER THE WAY WE WEREN’T
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thewaywewerent
iTunes: http://bit.ly/TWWW-iTunes
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/thewaywewerent
Monday Apr 15, 2019
Monday Apr 15, 2019
As mindful leaders we can transform fear to hope and possibility, and move toward creating a life of more meaning and satisfaction.
–Marc Lesser
ABOUT THE BOOK
Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader: Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen
Today’s leaders are consistently grappling with the pace and complexity of change, the challenge of supporting healthy collaboration and alignment among teams, and the resulting stress and burnout. The practice of mindful leadership may be one of THE most important competencies in business today if leaders are to move beyond fear, anxiety, nagging self-doubt, and the feeling of constant overwhelm.
What could your work, and your life, look like if you knew how to stay focused yet flexible, if you got more of the right things done, and if you were helping to create a more peaceful world at the same time?
Marc Lesser has taught his proven 7-step method to leaders at Google, Genentech, SAP, Facebook, and dozens of other Fortune 500 companies for over 20 years, and has distilled a lifetime of mindfulness and business experience into these chapters. This incredibly practical, yet accessible book draws on Marc’s experience as a CEO of 3 companies, as co-founder of the world-renowned Search Inside Yourself (SIY) program within Google, and as a long-time Zen practitioner.
The principles in this book can be applied to leadership at any level, providing readers with the tools they need to shift awareness, enhance communication, build trust, eliminate fear and self-doubt, and cut down on unnecessary workplace drama.
Embracing any one of the 7 practices alone can be life-changing. When used together, they support a path of well-being, productivity, and positive influence.
Practicing mindful leadership will allow you to achieve results – with more energy, clarity, meaning, and connection. Your intentions and actions will be more aligned. You will accomplish more with less wasted effort.
After reading this book, you’ll understand why some of the world’s most successful companies routinely incorporate the 7 practices of mindful leadership, integrating mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and business savvy, to create great corporate cultures, and even a better world
Monday Apr 08, 2019
Monday Apr 08, 2019
Beyond being known as the great-nephew of Hollywood pioneer Walt Disney, Tim has enjoyed a dual filmmaking career as both a producer of environmentally and socially-conscious documentaries and a director (and writer) of narrative features. He served as executive producer on the documentaries “Gift of the Game,” “Racing Against the Clock,”
“A Life Among Whales,” “The Price of Sugar” and “The Last Mountain.” Disney’s feature directing credits include “A Question of Faith” (also writer), “Tempesta” and “AmericanViolet.” He is also an executive producer on “Janis,” the upcoming biopic of singer Janis Joplin starring Michelle Williams.
Star academics, Doctors Julian Reed and Barbara Sullivan, fall in love with each other and with the idea of cloning a Neanderthal from ancient DNA. Against the express directive of University administrators they follow through on this audacious idea. The result is William: the first Neanderthal to walk the earth for some 35,000 years. William tries his best to fit into the world around him. But his distinctive physical features and his unique way of thinking--his “otherness”--set him apart and provoke fear. William’s story is powerful and unique, but his struggle to find love and assert his own identity in a hostile world is universal--and timeless.
Tim has directed strictly in the independent film world as opposed to the studio system, even though his legacy last name is one of the studios. This is particularly true with WILLIAM, a coming-of-age fantasy drama which he directed and co-wrote with J.T. Allen
DIRECTOR: Tim Disney
STARRING Will Brittain, Waleed Zuaiter, Maria Dizzia, and Beth Grant
SCREENPLAY: Tim Disney, J.T. Allen
PRODUCERS: Amar Balaggan, Jonathan DuBois.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Bill Haney, Peter Newman
Monday Apr 08, 2019
Monday Apr 08, 2019
ABOUT CINDY KOLBE
Cindy is the author of the new Struggling with Serendipity memoir. She has been a lifelong disability advocate, even before her youngest daughter's spinal cord injury. She managed group homes, ran a non-profit, and taught literacy to adults with disabilities at a state institution. An active volunteer, she served on the Ohio Swimming Board of Directors as Adapted Chairperson for swimmers with a disability. She is a Peer Mentor, Guest Blogger, and Regional Champion for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. She supports other Warrior Momz and the international nonprofit AbleThrive. She also provided four years of personal care after Beth's spinal cord injury.
Cindy is a mom on a mission to share the power of hope and connection. Since March of 2016, Cindy published 50 articles related to disability and mental health in many different media. (Listed on her "Press and News" webpage!) She also writes a popular blog and her upcoming memoir, Struggling with Serendipity, will be available on April 9, 2019 everywhere books are sold.
Cindy attended Ohio State University as one of thirteen Freshman Scholars in 1976, and majored in English at Heidelberg College. She married her best friend John 41 years ago and raised three children in Tiffin, Ohio. Beth works as a lawyer, Ben is a librarian, and Maria teaches young students with disabilities. Cindy and John also lived in Massachusetts and South Carolina before his retirement from teaching. They recently moved to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley to be closer to their children.
ABOUT HER BOOK
Cindy’s new memoir, Struggling with Serendipity, shares her battle with depression and guilt after her daughter injury. They shared unexpected adventures from their small town in Ohio to Seattle, Harvard, Capitol Hill, and around the world. Cindy is a writer with a blog and more than 50 articles since 2016 in Power of Moms, Motherly, AbleThrive, This Is My Brave, Reeve Foundation, and other media. She is on a mission to share a message of hope for those in crisis.
Monday Apr 08, 2019
Monday Apr 08, 2019
Filmmaker Lorenzo DeStefano and his team have created a dynamic and engaging portrait of nearly two years in the life of a tight knit American family, a single mom and her two kids, living paycheck to paycheck in working class Oxnard, California, with Rachel’s stunning music as the soundtrack. “Hearing is Believing” revels in Rachel’s joyous and free-flowing love of song, illuminating the bonds of family and the divine mysteries of creativity. Rachel Flowers is a true survivor, a hyper-abled individual whose inspiring story has the potential to be a beacon of hope out there.
Appearing with Rachel in “Hearing is Believing” are Grammy winners Arturo Sandoval, Stevie Wonder, Dweezil Zappa, two-time Grammy nominated jazz pianist, Taylor Eigsti, the late Progressive Rock icon Keith Emerson, Hawaii ukulele master Benny Chong, and 50 members of the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony performing Rachel's original composition, “At The End Of The Day”.
Rachel has appeared at the Havana International Jazz Festival (2016), Progfest 2017 & 2018, and at the PDX Portland Jazz Festival (2018). She has shared the stage with Dweezil Zappa, Arturo Sandoval, Taylor Eigsti, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Marc Bonilla, Jordan Rudess, Steve Porcaro, Rick Wakeman, Burt Bacharach, Bob Reynolds, Cuban legends Bobby Carcassés, Bellita Y Jazz Tumbatá, and Orlando "Maraca" Valle, the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra and the Birmingham (UK) Symphony Orchestra.
Rachel has performed since her youth for Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Clark Terry, Herbie Hancock, Herb Alpert, and Wayne Shorter. She has three albums in release – “Listen” (2016), “Hearing is Believing Motion Picture Soundtrack” (2017), and “Going Somewhere” (2018). Rachel is a very active part of several jazz lineups in California and is composing original songs and works for orchestra, jazz combo, piano, and voice. At this point in her eventful musical career she is deeply exploratory, forging a variety of stylings as immensely accomplished as they are uniquely her own.
Monday Apr 01, 2019
Monday Apr 01, 2019
The New York Times recently released an article on the “College Admissions Scandal,” exposing the parents of high school graduates who paid as much as $1.2 million to ensure their children’s acceptance to prestigious universities-- in most cases, kids were underqualified for their placements and unaware of their parents’ behavior.
Peter Noble Darrow provides commentary on how these parents’ are negatively affecting their children’s psyche as a result. A Millennial trust fund baby who spent his way too rapidly through his tony Upper East Side NY inheritance, this former 1%er is focusing on what really makes life valuable now...and sharing his lessons learned with readers in “Wise Millennial” (April 30, 2019). I've sent you a copy of his book already.
“I can understand and sympathize with the social pressures that society puts on higher education and parents' human desire to want to protect their children, but this is a microcosm of a larger gross confusion between ‘parental protection’ and emotional manipulation. This type of behavior robs children of their identity and any sense of self worth. I would even bet that this kind of behavior, even if successfully executed, would ultimately have an adverse psychological effect in the long run.” Darrow shares.
In “Wise Millennial” Peter Noble Darrow asks Millennials to think deeply about their parents’ expectations for their lives and find their own paths, instead.
Darrow shares his thoughts on “identity” in the college admission scandal.
Monday Apr 01, 2019
Monday Apr 01, 2019
What Others are Saying About Irene O’Garden’s Risking the Rapids (there are numerous other wonderful reviews!)
For many years now, the poet, playwright, and memoirist Irene O'Garden has been a hero to me. I think of her as a walking, writing, beam of light. It is my hope that ...numberless others will come to know her gifts and, most of all, her captivating talent for wonder and marvel. —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and Big Magic
“Family is landscape,” writes Irene O’Garden in her breathtaking memoir, Risking the Rapids. She gives us a bold dose of both as she embarks on a remote river trip to help make sense of a family wild and dangerous. In her brave eloquence, O’Garden adds a thoroughly welcome voice to the rich vein of American literature on the singular healing powers of wilderness. —Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix, LA Times Book Prize winner and editor at Outside Magazine Risking the Rapids is a deep and powerful memoir.
Irene O’Garden sifts through her family’s shared pain (and shared joy!) with elegance and care — searching for nothing less than ultimate understanding and supreme forgiveness.” —Martha Beck, Bestselling author, columnist for O, The Oprah Magazine
Irene O’Garden has won or been nominated for prizes in nearly every writing category from stage to e-screen, hardcovers, children’s books as well as literary magazines and anthologies. Her criticallyacclaimed play Women on Fire (Samuel French), starring Judith Ivey, played to sold-out houses at Off-Broadway’s Cherry Lane Theatre, and was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award. Her new play, Little Heart, won her a Berilla Kerr Playwriting Fellowship and was awarded full development at the New Harmony Play Project. O’Garden was awarded a Pushcart Prize for her lyric essay “Glad to Be Human,” (Untreed Reads.) Harper published her first memoir Fat Girl and Nirala Press recently published Fulcrum: Selected Poems, which contains her prize-winning poem “Nonfiction.”
On January 31, 2019 O’Garden’s upcoming memoir, Risking the Rapids: How My Wilderness Adventure Healed My Childhood is being published by Mango Publishing. O’Garden’s poems and essays have been featured in dozens of literary journals and awardwinning anthologies (including A Slant of Light, USA Book award Best Anthology), and she has been honored with an Alice Desmond Award and an Oppenheimer for her children’s books. A seasoned and entertaining presenter both on stage and video, O’Garden has appeared at top literary venues: including The Player’s Club, the Bowery Poetry Club, Nuyorican Poetry Café, and KGB in Manhattan; The Poetry Café, Mycennae House and Vinyl Deptford in London, and all throughout the Hudson Valley. She’s a regular contributor to 650―Where Writers Read, in New York City and Sarah Lawrence College and has received several grants from Poets and Writers.
Monday Apr 01, 2019
Monday Apr 01, 2019
Diane Les Becquets is the author of THE LAST WOMAN IN THE FOREST (March, 2019) and BREAKING WILD, both published by Berkley, Penguin Random House. BREAKING WILD, an Indie Next Pick and a national bestseller, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Booklist. It was also the recipient of the Colorado Book Award in Fiction, the New Hampshire Outstanding Work of Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Reading the West Book Award in Fiction. Les Becquets is also the author of three young adult novels: THE STONES OF MOURNING CREEK (Kirkus starred review); LOVE, CAJUN STYLE (Booklist starred review) and SEASON OF ICE, the latter being the recipient of a Pen American Fellowship. Other awards she has received include a BCCB Blue Ribbon Award, the Maine Lupine Award, ALA Best Book of the Year, Foreward Reviews Gold Winner Book of the Year, Volunteer State Book Award Selection, and Garden State Book Award Finalist.
A former professor of English, Les Becquets has served as a judge for the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and the Maine Arts Commission, and has taught writing workshops at venues across the country, including the University of Mississippi, Auburn University, the New Hampshire Writers' Project, the Department of Forestry, Writers Conference at Ocean Park, Writers in Paradise, the Arkansas Literary Festival, the Telluride Arts District, and at shelters for Katrina victims. She is a volunteer at Back in the Saddle Equine Therapy Center and an avid outdoors woman, enjoying archery, bicycling, snowshoeing, swimming, and backpacking with her dog, Izzy. Before moving to New Hampshire, where she now resides with her husband, she lived in a small ranching town in Northwestern Colorado for almost fourteen years, raising her three sons.
Diane Les Becquets is a member of the New Hampshire Writers' Project, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, and the Pen American Center.