Department of English

• Saturday, November 4, 2017 - 4:00pm to 5:30pm

Kelly Writers House

RSVP: whhomecoming@writing.upenn.edu or call 215-746-7636

The Hartman Family Screenwriting Series allows us to host an annual event with a successful professional screenwriter so that aspiring moviemakers in the Writers House community can get a taste of the writers’ room. Past events in the series have featured Scott Neustadter (500 Days of Summer, The Fault in our Stars) and John Leguizamo (Ice Age, Romeo + Juliet).

Alec Sokolow, nominated for an Academy Award (Toy Story) has worn many hats in his career as a professional writer. A career in Hollywood has taken him from writing late night TV comedy to having written some of the most memorable studio films of our time. His credited film work has topped one billion dollars in worldwide Box Office receipts and includes Toy Story, Cheaper by the Dozen, Garfield, Evan Almighty, Daddy Day Camp, and Money Talks. Alec hails from New York City and resides in Sagaponack, NY.

Kathleen DeMarco Van Cleve is a novelist, screenwriter, film producer and teacher. Her most recent work is the Young Readers adaptation of the 2017 National Book finalist Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar for Simon & Schuster.  She is also working on a film adaptation of the Wesley Stace novel Charles Jessold: Considered as a Murderer and her own young adult book series, Hurricane Ike. Her previous novels are Drizzle, Cranberry Queen and The Difference Between You and Me. She worked in the film business for many years and  graduated from Penn with a dual degree from The Wharton School & the College, and was captain of the women’s varsity crew.