Exit Laughing (29 page)

Barbara Abercrombie
teaches in the University of California, Los Angeles Extension Writers’ Program and has published novels, nonfiction, and children’s books, as well as essays, poetry, and articles in national publications. Her latest books are
Courage and Craft: Writing Your Life into Story
and
Cherished: 21 Writers on Animals They Have Loved and Lost
, and she writes a weekly blog. Her latest book is
A Year of Writing Dangerously
, published by New World Library. She lives with her husband in Santa Monica, California, and Twin Bridges, Montana. She can be reached at
www.BarbaraAbercrombie.com
.

Sam Barry
is the author of
How to Play the Harmonica: And Other Life Lessons
, and coauthor (with his wife, Kathi Kamen Goldmark) of
Write That Book Already! The Tough Love You Need to Get Published Now
. Sam shares writing duties with Kathi in “The Author Enablers,” their monthly column in
BookPage
. Sam tours with the all-author rock band the Rock Bottom Remainders and the San Francisco band Los Train Wreck. Visit Sam online at
www.KathiandSam.net
.

Joshua Braff
graduated from New York University and received an MFA in creative writing and fiction from St. Mary’s College of California. While a student, he published three short stories in national literary journals. Joshua is the author of the novels
The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green
and
Peep Show
. He is
at work on his next book and lives in St. Petersburg. Visit him online at
www.JoshuaBraff.com
.

Zoe FitzGerald Carter
is the author of
Imperfect Endings: A Daughter’s Story of Love, Loss, and Letting Go
, a finalist for the National MS Society’s Books for a Better Life Awards (Inspirational Memoir category), and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick. Zoe was born in Paris and is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School. She has written for the
New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, Vogue
, and more. She is working on a novel and can be reached at
www.ImperfectEndings.com
.

Amy Ferris
is an author, screenwriter, editor, feminist, wife, daughter, sister, and friend. Her memoir,
Marrying George Clooney: Confessions from a Midlife Crisis
, is being produced as an Off-Broadway play. Her essays have appeared in many anthologies, including
He Said What?
Amy’s anthology,
Dancing at the Shame Prom
, was coedited with Hollye Dexter. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, Ken, and their two cats, Bella and Lotus.

Benita (Bonnie) Garvin
is an award-winning film and television writer and producer. Her original film
The Killing Yard
, starring Alan Alda, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and was nominated for a host of awards. Bonnie was nominated for an Edgar Award and won a special media award from the American Bar Association for the film. In addition to her many projects in the United States, Bonnie also has credits in European film and television. She is part of the faculty of the nation’s most prestigious film school, the University of
Southern California, where she teaches screenwriting. Bonnie teaches screenwriting privately as well, and hosts weekend writing workshops around the country.

Sherry Glaser-Love
is the author and performer of
Family Secrets
, Off-Broadway’s longest running one-woman show. She received the L.A. Outer Critics Circle Award, South Florida’s Carbonell Award for Best Actress, the NY Theater World Award for Best Debut, a nomination for a Drama Desk Award, and L.A.’s Ovation Award. Her autobiography is
Family Secrets: One Woman’s Look at a Relatively Painful Subject
. Her newest stage works are
Oh My Goddess!
and
The Adventures of Super Activist Mother
. She is a founding member of the peace activist group Breasts Not Bombs.

Kathi Kamen Goldmark
is the author of
And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You
, a novel; coauthor of
The Great Rock & Roll Joke Book, Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude
, and
Write That Book Already! The Tough Love You Need to Get Published Now;
and has contributed essays to several anthologies. With her husband, Sam Barry, she coauthors “The Author Enablers” column in
BookPage
. Kathi is founder of the all-author rock band the Rock Bottom Remainders and “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” Records, author liaison for high-profile literary events, and was a longtime producer of the radio show
West Coast Live
. A 2007 San Francisco Library Laureate and winner of the 2008 National Women’s Book Association Award, she likes to think she is ready for anything. Visit Kathi online at
www.KathiandSam.net
.

Barbara Graham
is an essayist, playwright, and author who has written for
Time; O, The Oprah Magazine; Glamour; More; National Geographic Traveler; Redbook; Utne Reader; Vogue;
and many other publications. She is the author of
Women Who Run with the Poodles
and editor of the best-selling anthology
Eye of My Heart: 27 Writers Reveal the Hidden Pleasures and Perils of Being a Grandmother
. Her plays have been produced Off-Broadway and at theaters around the United States.

Carrie Kabak
is the author of
Cover the Butter
, a 2005 Independent Booksellers pick. She has received commendation as an illustrator by
Writer’s Digest
, was named illustrator of the month by the Society of Children’s Writers and Artists, and was a finalist for the Eric Hoffer (DaVinci Eye) Award for superior cover design. Her second novel,
Deviled Egg
, is in progress. Visit Carrie online at
www.carriekabak.com
.

Aviva Layton
is the author of the novel
Nobody’s Daughter
and several children’s books. She has taught literature at universities, colleges, and art schools and has reviewed plays, books, and film for newspapers, journals, and radio arts programs in the United States and Canada. She has had essays published in two anthologies,
The Other Woman
and
The Face in the Mirror
. Born in Sydney, Australia, Aviva lived for many years in Montreal, Toronto, and London. She currently resides in Los Angeles, where she works as a literary editor. Aviva is married to author and architect Leon Whiteson.

Barbara Lodge
’s essays have appeared in the
Sun, Whole Life Times, Amarillo Bay, Clever Magazine
, and the upcoming anthology
It’s All in Her Head
. An essay written under her pen name, Leigh Stuart, was published by Seal Press in the anthology
Dear John, I Love Jane
, which was a Lambda Literary Award finalist. She holds a BA in English and a Juris Doctor and lives in Los Angeles with her two teenage children.

Malachy McCourt
is a Brooklyn-born, Limerick-reared author and raconteur who has been a longshoreman, radio personality, film and theater actor, playwright, and, in 2006, a Green Party gubernatorial candidate in New York. He is the author of
A Monk Swimming
, which earned best seller status in the United States and abroad;
Singing My Him Song; Bush Lies in State; Malachy McCourt’s History of Ireland; The Claddagh Ring: Ireland’s Cherished Symbol of Friendship, Loyalty, and Love; Harold Be Thy Name: Light-hearted Daily Reflections for People in Recovery;
and
Danny Boy: The Legend of the Beloved Irish Ballad
.

Richard McKenzie
began to write after his Air Force service, at his father’s newspaper in Blountville, Tennessee. This was interrupted by nearly five decades of acting. His theater work includes leading roles at Arena Stage, Washington, DC
(The Iceman Cometh)
, Tyrone Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis
(Of Mice and Men)
, Westport Playhouse
(Uncle Vanya)
, and Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles
(Lost Highway)
. Off-Broadway performances include
Nobody Hears a Broken Drum
and
A Whistle in the Dark
, and Broadway plays include leads in
That Championship Season, The National Health, Uncle Vanya
, and
Indians
. Film credits
include
Doc, Being There, Some Kind of Hero, Man on a Swing, In Love and War
, and television work in
Roots, It Takes Two
(series regular),
All in the Family, Archie Bunker’s Place, Love of Life
(daytime series, fifty to sixty episodes), and
In the Heat of the Night
.

Jacquelyn Mitchard
’s first novel,
The Deep End of the Ocean
, was named by
USA Today
as one of the ten most influential books of the past twenty-five years, second only to the Harry Potter series, and was the first novel Oprah Winfrey chose for her book club. The novel was transformed into a feature film produced by and starring Michelle Pfeiffer. Other novels include
The Most Wanted, A Theory of Relativity, Twelve Times Blessed, The Breakdown Lane
, and
Cage of Stars
. She has published five novels for young adults, including
Now You See Her, All We Know of Heaven, The Midnight Twins, Look Both Ways
, and
Watch for Me by Moonlight
. For mature young adults, she has written
The Things We Saw at Night
and
The Things We Saw in the Dark
. She is a contributing editor for the Disney parenting magazine
Wondertime
, and writes for
More, Parade
, and
Real Simple
, among other magazines.

Christine Kehl O’Hagan
is the author of
Benediction at the Savoia
, a novel, and the memoir
The Book of Kehls
. Both books received starred Kirkus reviews, the latter a Kirkus Best Book of 2005 selection. Her essays have appeared in
Between Friends, The Day My Father Died, Lives through Literature, The Facts On File Companion to the American Novel, Exploring Literature, For Keeps, The Face in the Mirror
, and
He Said What?
She received the Jerry Lewis Writing Award and has contributed to the
New York Times, Newsday
, and several Long Island publications. O’Hagan
lives on Long Island with her husband and is working on a second memoir.

Karen Quinn
began writing in her mid-forties after she was laid off from a corporate job, started a Manhattan consultancy helping families get their children into the city’s best schools, sold the business, and decided to try to write about it. Her first novel was the best seller
The Ivy Chronicles
. She has written four other books, including
Wife in the Fast Lane, Holly Would Dream, The Sister Diaries
, and
Testing for Kindergarten
. Movie rights were optioned for
The Ivy Chronicles
and
Holly Would Dream
. Karen recently developed a game called
IQ Fun Park
to help parents get their children reading for kindergarten testing. Karen also runs a website helping parents with admissions and school placement at
www.TestingMom.com
.

Dianne Rinehart
has worked in Moscow, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver as an editor, reporter, and columnist for some of the largest newspapers and magazines in Canada and the United States. She is a senior editor at the
Toronto Star
. Her work has appeared in the anthology
He Said What?
But her most important achievement to date is colaunching the organization Give Girls a Chance (
www.givegirlsachance.org
), to educate girls around the world. Their motto is: Educate a girl. Change the world.

Jenny Rough
is a lawyer who switched jobs to launch a career as a freelance writer. She has written articles for the
Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, More, Whole Living, Yoga Journal, USA Weekend
,
AARP
, and
Writer’s Digest
, among other publications. Her work has also appeared as commentaries on public radio. She is currently working on a memoir about healing from infertility.

Starhawk
is the author of twelve books on Goddess religion, earth-based spirituality, and activism, including
The Spiral Dance; The Earth Path;
her children’s picture book,
The Last Wild Witch;
and her latest,
The Empowerment Manual: A Guide for Collaborative Groups
. She consulted on the Women in Spirituality series of documentaries for the National Film Board of Canada, and together with director Donna Read founded Belili Productions, making documentaries on issues concerning women and the earth. Their first,
Signs Out of Time
, explores the life and work of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas and was released in 2004. In November 2010 they released
Permaculture: The Growing Edge
, about the worldwide movement in regenerative ecological design. Her novel,
The Fifth Sacred Thing
, is in preproduction with Yerba Buena Films to become a feature-length movie. She works with the Reclaiming extended network of teachers and ritual makers. A committed activist for global justice and the environment, Starhawk also teaches Earth Activist Trainings: courses in permaculture and regenerative design with a focus on organizing and activism and a grounding in earth-based spirituality.

Ellen Sussman
is the author of
French Lessons
and
On a Night Like This
, both
San Francisco Chronicle
best sellers. She is also the editor of two anthologies,
Dirty Words: A Literary Encyclopedia of Sex
and
Bad Girls: Twenty-six Writers Misbehave
, the latter of which
was a
New York Times
Editors’ Choice and a
San Francisco Chronicle
best seller. She has published numerous essays in anthologies, including
The Other Woman
, and a dozen of her short stories have appeared in literary and commercial magazines.