Want a glimpse of the sordid underbelly of Tinseltown, as seen through the eyes of Philly scribes? Boy, have I got an event for you. This Wednesday I'll be taking part in a panel discussion at the Free Library of Philadelphia titled, "Can Writers Survive Hollywood?"
(Spoiler alert: Everyone on the panel did, in fact, survive.)
The panel is part of the One Book, One Philadelphia festivities, and will focus on Sherman Alexie's short story, "Fearful Symmetry," which belongs to one my favorite sub-subgenres. Namely, the "innocent writer goes to Hollywood and loses his/her innocence and/or mind" sub-subgenre (see also Nathaneal West's Day of the Locust, Fitzgerald's Pat Hobby stories, Barton Fink, etc.)
Joining me will be novelist and screenwriter Joe Gangemi, novelist Ken Kalfus and screenwriter Mark Rosenthal, and the event will be moderated by Ursinus professor Erec Smith. We took part in a conference call last week to get to know each other, and if the conversation was any indication of how the panel will turn out... well, you guys are in for a wild ride.
The fun starts at 7 p.m., at the Central Branch (1901 Vine Street). Hope to see some of you there.
(Illustration: Charles Binger's awesomely pulpy Day of the Locust paperback art. Which springs to mind whenever I think about Hollywood.)
6 comments:
How come every time you have an awesome event, I end up having to work? Man this looks cool.
Duane: This sounds really cool. Can you give any more details? Such as: How much focus is on that one short story, vs. how much will be you guys talking about your experiences with Hollywood? Any idea how long it will run? (I'm thinking about coming in from the Harrisburg area.) Thanks!
Hey, Anonymous: I'm presuming it will run at least an hour, and most likely 90 minutes (with a Q&A portion). And while we will be discussing the story, I think it will serve as a springboard for the panelists' experiences in H'wood. Hope you do decide to drive in...
This looks cool. a movie pertaining to hollywood battle... very nice...
Heh. I never thought of that as a genre. I love Neil Gaiman's story "The Goldfish Pond and Other Stories," which I'll mentally note as being in said genre. He comes over from England too which is an even bigger shock.
Frank: that's a great story, and definitely fits in this weird little sub-subgenre. Just re-read it today during a break, in fact, and I like it just as much as when I first read it back in 1998. (A few months after my first trip to L.A., oddly enough.)
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