As we continue to dribble our way through the pandemic, let's remember to exercise, smile, and practice our throws in life! What better way to hone in on precision shots and attack the boards indoors than with your very own basketball arcade! Hence, this H-LIT newsletter is brought to you by POP-A-SHOT! A great way to keep your shot strong in quarantine and beyond.
Dear Hollywood LIT Retreaters [LIT: Literature. Intelligence-Investing. Technology.]
Hope everyone is well and making the most on the road to pandemic-recovery...
First, a special thanks to POP-A-SHOT for two Premium Basketball Arcades to lift morale of some folks hit hard by covid-19. I’ll share the next act of this story with follow up photos.
Here’s THE LIST of upcoming film, tv, and literature to keep your eye on.
Please see below on our round up of TOASTS Celebrating Accomplishments of Hollywood LIT Retreaters. Congratulations!!!
TOAST #1 goes to former Hollywood LIT Retreater turned Michigan’s 54th Attorney General Dana Nessel (and my cousin!) who is making waves on behalf of Americans everywhere. Before Dana became AG of MI, she was an outstanding prosecutor in Detroit, and in private practice became the key attorney responsible for the legalization of same sex marriage nationwide, and much more. Before all that, Dana did a stint in LA where she attended a Hollywood Literary Retreat! Now she’s making history, steadfastly standing by her initiatives, and speaking up to protect our civil liberties. For more on how Dana’s work benefits residents of California, see the links below or visit www.dananessel.com. If you are inspired by Dana's work, you may wish to consider a tax deductible non-partisan donation in support of Dana's Public Service Announcements to the non-profit 501c3, PROTECTING MICHIGAN FOUNDATION PO Box 12303, Lansing, MI 48901, or to her campaign at FRIENDS OF DANA NESSEL, PO Box 11141, Lansing, MI 48901
TOAST #2 goes to Producer Stephen Nemeth for his award winning documentary on Netflix, KISS THE GROUND. Highly recommend this film on how to change the world by how you buy your food and more... and for his award winning drama HORSE LATITUDES
TOAST #3 goes to Producer Matt Gross for his one hour crime drama thriller series BIG SKY on ABC! Created by David E. Kelly
Please share your accomplishments for the next TOAST, stay safe, and aim the ball your way to good health and creativity!
H LIT presents a special on HOLLYWOOD GRIT by HLIT Retreater Val Stulman, former actress turned TV production sound tech and recordist, turned television writer, playwright and educator.
HOLLYWOOD GRIT
When longtime Hollywood Literary Retreat friend, Lynn Isenberg, posted a short vid on LinkedIn about grit, I had to watch, then share. Grit is the story of my life. Lynn saw it and reached out to catch up. It had been way too long. Yes, I said, I was still writing, looking for my forty year break, I half joked. At an age when I'm old enough to get the Covid vaccine first, I landed on the Disney Inclusion Roster as an older female writer. I should have grandkids and a regular mahjong game, but instead I'm writing with a younger partner who's a friend from grad school. I went back at 50 for an MFA, after recovering from a couple of nasty life events. Yup, grit is my middle name. I've also taught off and on over the years. I subbed in East L.A., adjuncted at colleges and community colleges, worked with at-risk high school kids who just got out of Juvie. I'd always tell the kids, especially the young artists - everyone's creative, but it takes grit to not give up because life can and will smack you every which way. It takes grit to pass the class that sucks, to be the first in your family to go to college, to spend your life doing the art you love even if you don't get rewarded. Especially in show business, grit is what gets you through. If you love it, then as Han Solo said, "never tell me the odds." When you refuse to give up, you've got grit. And these days, as we move towards healing from Covid and divisive politics, grit plus Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Peacock, CBS Access, broadcast and all the other streaming channels will surely get us through. The good news? Those places will definitely need more scripts. See. Grit. -- xoxo Stay healthy, Val
Coming Soon: H-LIT Content, THIS BEGS THE QUESTION, introducing compelling, informative, and/or humorous content via Zoom or Podcast. Testing the podcast format here: Episode One and Episode Two
