writers giving advice to aspiring authors and screenwriters today at the university of tampa

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WRITERS TO GIVE ADVICE TO ASPIRING AUTHORS/SCREENWRITERS AT UT

The movie theaters are filled with films that were adapted from books. But how does one write a book that will end up on the silver screen?

UT Assistant Professor of Journalism John Capouya knows. On Monday, February 22, he'll share his secrets at an event called From Book to Movie: Two Writers Tell a Gorgeous Story, at 6 p.m. in the Reeves Theater on the second floor of the Vaughn Center at the University of Tampa. Capouya and screenwriter/actor John Posey, who is adapting Capouya's book on Gorgeous George for a feature film, will discuss narrative storytelling and the craft of adaptation.

"I got very lucky, including the fact that they are including me in the film and script writing process," Capouya said. Gorgeous George: The Outrageous Bad-Boy Wrester Who Created American Pop Culture tells the story of George Wagner, who created an outrageous image that would later influence Muhammad Ali, James Brown and Bob Dylan. With his regal capes and feminine hairdo, George challenged traditional concepts of masculinity and created a following for the "heel'' or villain in wrestling. Reviews of Gorgeous George appeared in The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated and The Wall Street Journal.

The event is free and open to the public.

The University of Tampa is a private, residential university located on approximately 100 acres on the riverfront in downtown Tampa. Known for academic excellence, personal attention and real-world experience in its undergraduate and graduate programs, the University serves 6,300 students from 50 states and approximately 100 countries. Approximately 70 percent of full-time students live on campus, and more than half of UT students are from Florida.

For more info, call 813-253-6216.

upcoming events at inkwood books

There are lots of events coming up soon at Inkwood Books (216 S. Armenia Ave., Tampa):

EVENT: Ernest Hooper with Dr. Keith Berry and Paula Stahel
DATE: February 18

Celebrating with St. Petersburg Times columnist Ernest Hooper, honoring the publication of his grandmother Ann Nixon Cooper's book, A Century and Some Change:My Life Before the President Called My Name, at Inkwood Books on Thursday, February 18, at 6 p.m. Hooper will be joined by Dr. Keith Berry, HCC history professor, providing context for Cooper's story spanning a century of historic change, and Paula Stahe, immediate past president of the Association of Personal Historians and owner of Breath and Shadows Productions, sharing experience helping individuals and families capture life stories as legacies for the future.

President-elect Obama mentioned Cooper in his acceptance speech, bringing fame to the 106-year-old beloved matriarch. Her life story began before there were cars or planes, when both her gender and her race kept her from voting, and she lived to see a black president - and the first copy of her book - before she passed away. The daughter of a tenant farmer, wife of a dentist, and respected Atlanta elder has left a lasting legacy for us all.


EVENT: Lisa McMann
DATE: February 25

New York Times best-selling young adult author Lisa McMann will discuss and sign her newest book, Gone, at Inkwood Books on Thursday, February 23, at 7 p.m. McMann’s compelling paranormal thriller series features Janie, a strong but vulnerable female protagonist who gets caught in the dreams of others. Following Wake and Fade, and this new installment continues the series with McMann’s trademark blend of mystery and romance, recommended for grades 8-11.


EVENT: Johanna Moran
DATE: March 4

Meet Johanna Moran, author of The Wives of Henry Oades, a paperback original novel based on real events in the 18th century, at Inkwood Books on Thursday, March 4, at 7 p.m. The author's father, a law professor, found an abstract of a controversial court case, and her mother hoped to write about it someday, but passed the idea on to Moran. The book tells the story of Henry Oades, who migrated to New Zealand where his wife and children were abducted by Maori and given up for dead. Grief stricken, Henry sailed to California and was remarried when his lost wife and surviving children appeared on their doorstep. They take them in, attempting to adapt while townspeople disapprove, and Henry is charged with bigamy, punishable by hanging. As their legal troubles mount, the relationship between the two wives, each with a lawful and righteous stake, forms the heart of this astonishing tale of marriage - certain to become a bookgroup favorite.

Visit www.inkwoodbooks.com for more info.