Bee Sacks (they/any) is a queer writer. They graduated from the Programs in Writing at the University of California, Irvine. Their debut novel, City of a Thousand Gates, was awarded the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for fiction in 2023. A former journalist, they previously worked at Vanity Fair before moving to Israel to study sacred Jewish texts. Bee now lives in Los Angeles with their dog, Pupik.

Stephanie Land is the author of Maid and Class, where she writes about economic and social justice, domestic abuse, chronic illness, and motherhood. Her memoir Maid serves as the inspiration for Netflix’s Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated original series, Maid, starring Margaret Qualley alongside Andie MacDowell, Nick Robinson and Anika Noni Rose. Land served as an executive producer on the project in addition to showrunner Molly Smith Metzler, John Wells (ER, The West Wing, Shameless), and Margot Robbie, among others. The show is one of Netflix’s most watched series ever with over 469 million hours viewed that have reached over 67 million households in its first month. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, the call volume in the month following the show’s premier was higher than any other month in its 25-year history.

In addition to her memoirs, Land has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Atlantic, and The New York Review of Books, among many other outlets. A writing fellow at the Center for Community Change, she has worked with Barbara Ehrenreich at the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.

Land currently lives in Missoula, Montana with her two daughters, Story & Coraline, as well as her husband, Tim, and their dogs Bodhi, Juneau, and Keats.

To connect with Stephanie, please visit her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Tik Tok.

Brandon and Garrett are LA-based writers/directors, who work in both theatre and film. Theatrically, their credits include ACCOMMODATION by Greg Burdick, BE A GOOD LITTLE WIDOW by Bekah Brunstetter (NBC’s THIS IS US) and WHAT HAPPENED TO LAURA LOPEZ by See What Sticks co-founder Ilana Peña as part of the inaugural ‘30/30/30’ festival. They are currently in post-production on their feature film, DON’T LOG OFF, a screenlife thriller starring Ariel Winter, Luke Benward, and Kara Royster. Additionally, they directed on the show SWIMMING WITH SHARKS (Lionsgate/Roku) starring Diane Kruger and Kiernan Shipka. They got their start working for Katie Jacobs (HOUSE), Tucker Gates (HOMELAND, MORNING SHOW, BATES MOTEL), James Lapine (SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, INTO THE WOODS) and Andy Blankenbuehler (HAMILTON). Brandon and Garrett are proud graduates of USC School of Cinematic Arts and Northwestern University respectively. They are represented at Circle of Confusion and Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips, LLP.

Ilana Peña served as creator, showrunner, executive producer, and director of the Emmy-nominated "Diary of a Future President" for Disney+. The two-season series was called a “must-watch” by Parade, “wholly charming” by The AV Club, “consistently sweet, authentic and humorous” by Remezcla, won "Best Latinx Show" from the Latino Media Awards in 2021, and was nominated for a GLAAD Award in 2021 and 2022. Ilana directed the penultimate episode of "Diary" as well as an episode of the HBOmax comedy "Gordita Chronicles." Peña was named as a 2020 recipient of Forbes 30 Under 30: Hollywood and Entertainment, and honored in Variety's 2021 Inclusion Impact Report. She served as a writer on the critically-acclaimed series “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” on the CW, where she wrote and produced multiple episodes, contributed song lyrics, and was featured both onscreen and on the soundtrack. Ilana is continuing to develop projects through her overall deal at CBS Television Studios in addition to writing features for Universal Studios, Disney+, and 20th Century Studios, where she is penning the reboot of the 1988 film Working Girl produced by Selena Gomez.

Taylor Williams, CSA: Artios Award Winning Casting Director. Film: The Front Room (A24), Omni Loop (2am Films), Good One (Smudge Films) Rocky’s Deli ( Ben Cohen) What the Constitution Means to Me (Amazon Prime). Broadway: The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window (also at BAM) with Rachel Brosnahan and Oscar Isaac, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, Slave Play (Broadway remount and original, CTG, NYTW), Is This a Room & Dana H, What the Constitution Means to Me (NYTW, Barrow Street, Broadway, National Tour). New Media: amfAR’s The Great Work Begins featuring scenes from Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, Ratatouille: the TikTok Musical benefit for the Actors Fund. TV: Casting Assistant on Season 1 of Katori Hall’s P-Valley for Starz. Taylor is the resident casting director at Page 73 Productions. She has cast various productions in NYC and around the country. Theaters she has worked at include New York Theatre Workshop, The Mercury Store, Soho Rep, Rattlestick, Theatre for a New Audience, Two River Theater, Fisher Center at Bard, Shakespeare Theatre (DC), Studio Theatre (DC), Arena Stage, Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville. Notable productions include: Stereophonic (Playwrights Horizons), Sanctuary City (NYTW), Othello with Daniel Craig (NYTW), Whitney White’s The Amen Corner (Shakespeare Theatre, DC), Daniel Fish’s Oklahoma! (Fisher Center at Bard and National Tour), Aleshea Harris’ Is God Is (Soho Rep ), Clare Barron’s You Got Older (Page 73), Lucas Hnath’s The Thin Place (Humana Festival, ATL), Daniel Fish’s Most Happy (Fisher Center and Williamstown) Branden Jacob-Jenkins An Octoroon (Soho Rep and TFANA). Upcoming: Sam Gold and Amy Herzog’s An Enemy of the People starring Jeremy Strong, Michael Imperioli, Victoria Pedretti on Broadway Spring 2024. Sarah Benson’s Teeth by Anna K. Jacobs and Michael R. Jackson, adapted from the film. TaylorWilliamsCasting.com

Madeline Hendricks Lewen is a playwright and TV writer. TV credits include SYFY’s "The Ark," Freeform’s "Good Trouble" and the CW's "Jane The Virgin," where she worked for all five seasons. Her plays have been published by Samuel French and produced in NY and LA. She is currently developing pilots at the CW with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions and at Freeform with Liz Tigelarr's Best Day Ever. She’s also developing a musical podcast at FilmNation with Tony Award-winning producer James Bierman.

Writing Pad was founded by freelance writers Marilyn Friedman (NY Times #1, NY Times #2, San Francisco Chronicle, Salon) and Jeff Bernstein (NPR’s Unfictional) with the express purpose of providing students access to top a tier MFA level education at a more affordable price.

We removed all the things that make a writing class unproductive, and built on all the things we loved: teachers who are working writers at the top of their field, are passionate about mentoring students and helping them get hired and published, curriculums that lead to a professional level product, and a nurturing, inspiring environment that helps you build your writing community and get your stories on the page.

Garrett Greer is a manager and producer at Haven Entertainment. He began his career in television as an assistant at the Kaplan Stahler Agency, followed by ABC Studios, Fox Broadcasting Company, and Ryan Murphy Television. While at RMTV he was promoted to Manager of Development, later moving to MTV’s scripted department. After two years at MTV, he transitioned into representation as a literary manager, working first at Rain Management Group before moving over to Haven Entertainment. His clients have written and directed tv shows and films for Universal, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Apple, HBO, Starz, FX, Showtime, Freeform, Sony, TNT, USA, NBC, CBS, ABC, and The CW, among others. As a producer Garrett has television projects set up at Lionsgate and Imagine.

Geffen Playhouse has been a hub of the Los Angeles theater scene since opening its doors in 1995. Noted for its intimacy and celebrated for its world-renowned mix of classic and contemporary plays, provocative new works and second productions, the not-for-profit organization continues to present a body of work that has garnered national recognition. Must be redeemed in Los Angeles between January 17th-Februrary 18th, 2024.

Currently the Director of Development at Elevate Entertainment, Sam Griffel is a creative executive, writer and lawyer who previously worked in original programming and development at Spotify. He has developed and produced for media entities large and small including Disney, HBO and Paramount Global. Sam was the head writer of MTV News’s Need To Know and has produced television shows such as Game Theory With Bomani Jones (HBO) and the WGA Award nominated The President Show (Comedy Central).

Admitted to the bar in New York and California, Sam draws equally from his legal, talent and producing backgrounds to develop and champion emerging voices creatively and strategically, ensuring that both their IP and creative visions are protected.

Griffel provides pro-bono representation through the Safe Passage Project legal clinic, sits on the board of NAMI West Side Los Angeles, and along with his dog Scout, is a member of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles dog therapy program.

Lindsay Lehrman is a literary agent at RBEL, where she started as an assistant and now has been an agent for over six years. She represents writers and directors across all types of genres. Originally from New Jersey, she is currently watching The Sopranos for the very first time and therefore constantly thinking about pasta.

Chevalier's Books is the oldest independent bookstore in Los Angeles. Established in 1940, we pride ourselves on our excellent selection, passionate customer service, and sense of community. We offer author events, children's story time, greeting cards, and (of course) books.

An iconic cornerstone of Larchmont Village in Hancock Park, Chevalier's was founded in 1940 by book maverick Joe Chevalier.

As a general trade bookstore we take great pride in our curation and are confident we can find a book for anyone— from the seven year old who exclusively reads about dinosaurs to the literary connoisseur in the mood for a Bulgarian epic.

Peridot was founded 21 years ago by Dawn Hendricks. Dawn worked as a photographer and visual merchandiser in her early career, but always dreamed of owning her own store. She achieved her dream launching Peridot: a space filled to the brim with handmade, effortlessly beautiful, meticulously curated fine jewelry. 20 years later, her standards for curation of the store have not wavered—bringing the highest quality and the most beautiful jewels to her faithful clientele.

Representing designers who create collections that tell a unique story, the mission of the Peridot brand is to represent designers who create collections that tell a unique story. Our clients can expect a special personalized experience as they explore our thoughtfully selected pieces. We are proud to be in the business of promoting these entrepreneurs who put so much intention into their handcrafted work. We had a vision for Peridot that we knew needed to reflect a curated world that is relaxed, warm, and inviting, whether it’s in our retail space or our digital world.Item description

Anna, (Taurus sun, Scorpio moon, Cancer rising), discovered astrology as a teenager before it exploded into the mainstream. Back then she only had Jan Spiller’s “New Moon Astrology” to pour over with a few other interested friends. Later, after her Saturn return, and some major life changes, Anna decided to become a professional astrologer. Anna believes each person’s chart has many stories to tell, and that each person has innate strengths and challenges that she can bring to light and help you work with. She also believes that astrology is for everyone and that some western co-opted spirituality can be rather exclusionary and binary, so she aims to create a space in which anyone of any background can get a reading without feeling like they’re reading a chapter out of the 90s classic “Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus”. She’s studied with Deborah Silverman, Sarah L’Hrar, Colin Bedell, Tara Voegel, Ocean Pleasant, and Malika Semper, and is currently interning for Sarah L’Hrar’s Level 1 and 2 classes through Debra Silverman’s Applied Astrology School. I look forward to working with you, and sharing about what the stars and planets have in store for you!

Jaime Jaget is a Reiki Master, Doula, and writer.

www.jaimejaget.com

Rachel Maddow is the host of her Emmy award-winning cable news program, THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW, which airs weekly on MSNBC. Ali Velshi is the host of VELSHI on MSNBC. The Trump Indictments collects the complete charging documents brought by the Department of Justice and the Fulton County (GA) and Manhattan (NY) district attorneys—a riveting and shocking narrative of the former president’s alleged crimes and conspiracies.

Alicia Carroll is a screenwriter and playwright based in NY and LA. She got her start in theater and news before moving to screenwriting. Previous writing credits include BUMPER IN BERLIN (Peacock), THE WATCHFUL EYE (Freeform), ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST (NBC), and Crooked Media's comedic live show and podcast, LOVETT OR LEAVE IT. She has also participated in fellowships and labs across mediums in film, television, and theater including Film Independent: Project Involve, Women In Film: Insight, IAMA Theatre's Emerging Playwrights Lab and Ensemble Studio Theater LA’s Ignite Lab. Her play HORSE PLAY was recently named an O’Neill Theater Center NPC Semifinalist. Alicia is an Emerson College graduate and teaches writing independently and at The Writing Pad in Los Angeles. aliciadcarroll.com | @aliciadcarroll

Skylight Books is a general bookstore serving the historic Los Angeles neighborhoods of Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park, and Downtown. Located in the shadow of Griffith Park and its iconic Observatory, our Los Feliz neighborhood is host to many independently owned shops, restaurants, and movie theaters. Our curated selection features the best of literary fiction; graphic novels; children's books; California history and culture; political and social sciences; essays and nonfiction; and books on art, photography, film, and music. We also feature hand-picked magazines and zines, along with a selection of stationery and gifts. Our events program is nationally recognized, and features major touring authors, local favorites, and debuts.