Going to college in a big city like Los Angeles, not only am I lucky to be surrounded by a variety of people and experiences to write about, but there are also unbelievable cultural and artistic venues right down the street.  I recently had the thrilling opportunity to see Billy Crystal's Broadway show "700 Sundays," which is now playing in L.A. at the Wilshire Theater.  Crystal is one of my favorite actors -- I fell in love with him the first time I saw the movie "When Harry Met Sally"  -- and I was blown away by his charisma and talent as an actor.  What impressed me even more, however, was the way he wrote the dramatic autobiographical script, weaving real-life events from his childhood together to create a poignant, funny, touching 2-hour play. 

Whether you enjoy writing fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or plays, I think all writers can learn from Crystal's example of the emotional power of bringing real experiences into your writing.  Even though "700 Sundays" took place in New York in the 1950s -- a time and place distinctly different from my childhood in California at the turn of the millenium -- I felt so in touch with the play's characters and their plights.  Why?  Because Crystal wrote his script from the heart.  When I write fiction, I try to do the same thing, and draw on my own feelings and experiences when writing experiences of the characters.  I think this emotional awareness in turn resonates with the reader -- and, like Crystal's play has stayed in my mind, your work will stick with your audience as well.  In the writing world, that's what I call a standing ovation! :)     

Calling all teenage girl writers, between 13 and 17. Here's a great opportunity to get published.

A magazine editor Amy Goldwasser is putting together a book of essays by teen girls. Here's a snippet from her call for submissions:

I want to work with the girls, editor at their service, with more attention than I’d give any overrated old professional writer. I want to put their essays out there because they’re great reads and need a proper place in literature, not because they’re some misguided grownup idea of what kids today are up to, keeping it real. This is a chance for them, as writers, to speak to a broader audience and with more staying power and legitimacy than the web allows.  ... So if you know any girls, age 13-18, who’d like to submit a piece of personal non-fiction for consideration, please pass this invitation onto them. ...

Amy is looking for absolutely any subject matter and the essay "may already exist (from a school assignment, from a blog, e-mail to a friend, anything) or be an original work." More details.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 7 and all correspondence should be sent to to amyg@earthlink.net with “my essay” as the subject.

Good luck!

There was a time when people believed that science could solve the world’s problems. Great science fiction stories gave us moving sidewalks, floating cities, and Star Trek. But somewhere along the line, the dream of a better future through technology became hazy.

Perhaps it was the Cold War (leaders using science to make weapons that could blow up the planet 1,000 times over). Perhaps it was the environmental crisis (global warming). Perhaps it was the disappointment of watching the millennium change without the invention of personal jet packs (or at least floating skateboards). Whatever it was, science lost some of its luster in our culture these last few decades. But I think it’s on its way back.

The U.S. is starting to pour resources into science education, and our nation’s students are proving to be extremely competent and imaginative researchers.

Shannon Babb, 17, won the Intel Science Talent Search this year.

Witness exhibit A: the Intel Science Talent Search (STS). It's the most prestigious high school science competition in the country, and this year's winners were announced on Tuesday. Check out the winning projects by reading on. There might be hope for a better future through science yet ...

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the hollow of His Hand.

                  - Traditional Irish Blessing