UCLA Extension Writers' Program

UCLA Extension Writers' Program is a unit within UCLA Extension, the not-for-profit and self-supporting community outreach arm of the University of California, Los Angeles. Located in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles, the UCLA Extension Writers' Program offers approximately 400 annual open-enrollment screenwriting and creative writing courses for all levels of writers. Courses are available online and on the UCLA campuses in downtown Los Angeles and Woodland Hills. All courses are approved by the UCLA Academic Senate.[1]

History

The Regents of the University of California established University Extension in 1891.[2] A permanent Extension office was opened in Los Angeles in 1917. Extension moved to the UCLA campus in 1948, and subsequently to its location at Gayley and LeConte in 1971. The UCLA Extension Writers' Program was established in 1966.

Dr. Linda Venis served as the Director of the Writers' Program from August 1986 until June 2016, when she retired. In October 2016, Charles Jensen was hired to head up the Program.

Program

The Writers' Program offers approximately 400 annual onsite and online courses[3] including beginning, intermediate, and advanced-level courses in fiction, memoir, personal essay, poetry, playwriting, editing, publishing, and screenwriting. Courses are taught by a roster of more than 200 published or produced writing professionals.

Students may choose from five certificate programs (Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Feature Film Writing, Television Writing and Film and TV Comprehensive) for a structured course of study, as well as four specializations for a focused approach to a specific topic. The James Kirkwood Literary Prize was established in 1991 in memory of James Kirkwood to honor the literary achievements of new generations of fiction writers. The UCLA Extension Screenplay Competition replaced the Diane Thomas Screenwriting Award in 2006.

In 2014, the Writers' Program established the Allegra Johnson Prize, a merit-based award with a prize of $5,000. The award is given to a promising novelist or memoirist in alternating years, providing both formal recognition of their talent and financial resources to support them as they complete their manuscripts.

Books

In 2013, Gotham Books published two books that were edited by then-Writers' Program Director Linda Venis and written by Writers' Program instructors. The books are Cut to the Chase: Writing Feature Films with the Pros at UCLA Extension Writers' Program[4] and Inside the Room: Writing Television with the Pros at UCLA Extension Writers' Program.[5]

Notable instructors

Writers' Program instructors are professional writers. Some of the Program's notable instructors have included:

Student success stories

Many of UCLA Extension Writers' Program students have published or produced work after leaving the program, including:[6]

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References
  1. "UCLA Extension Policy AA123" (PDF). UCLA Extension. December 2013.
  2. "University of California History Digital Archives: Universitywide and Affiliated Institutions - U". www.lib.berkeley.edu. John Douglass, Sally Thomas. Retrieved August 14, 2017.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. "About | Writers' Program at UCLA Extension". writers.uclaextension.edu. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  4. Cut to the chase : writing feature films with the pros at UCLA Extension Writers' Program. Venis, Linda, UCLA Extension Writers' Program. New York, New York: Gotham Books. 2013. ISBN 9781592408108. OCLC 828246264.CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. Inside the room : writing TV with the pros at UCLA Extension Writers' Program. Venis, Linda, UCLA Extension Writers' Program. New York, New York: Penguin. 2013. ISBN 9780698138377. OCLC 858943356.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. "Writers' Program at UCLA Extension |". writers.uclaextension.edu. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
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