Get ready to pitch! Whether you’ve got a novel or screenplay, it’s time to learn how to pitch your work! Join us on June 22 at 11AM at the Salem Public Library (Anderson B) to learn from David Poulshock and Nancy Froeschle. We’ll talk about how to pitch, then practice throwing the ball. No experience necessary — just a willingness to learn. See you there!

David Poulshock is an award-winning filmmaker whose passion for storytelling (which for him is all about the question, “Then what happens?”) probably began at birth.

His creative achievements include: the blockbuster children’s series Wee Sing  for Universal Home Video; two groundbreaking series for public television, Mathematics Illuminated  and America’s History in the Making;  and scores of television commercials, web videos, and corporate films.

David is known as a visionary director, accomplished in multiple genres, and respected for his ability to elicit engaging performances from professional actors and real people of all ages and abilities.

As a screenwriter, his original screenplays have earned honors from some of the film industry’s leading script competitions, including Worldfest Houston, Slamdance, Scriptalooza, Writer’s Network, Austin Heart of the Screenplay and many others.

Inducted into the inaugural Oregon Music Hall of Fame as keyboardist with the legendary Northwest cult band Upepo , Poulshock served: on the adjunct faculty of the Art Institute of Portland, as Chairman of the 2005 Willamette Writers Conference and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Northwest Academy (an arts-infused independent school). He currently serves on the board of Oregon Volunteer Lawyers for the arts.

David lives in the Northwest with his partner Gini Chin and enjoys stand-up paddle boarding and long distance swimming. He recently swam the 2018 Portland Bridge Swim — 11 miles and 12 bridges on the Willamette River.

Nancy Froeschle is an award winning screenwriter.  Her WWI script, The Greater Glory, was a 2008 Nicholl Fellowships top ten finalist. Her thriller, The Restoration, won first place in the Writer’s Digest screenplay competition and was a finalist in the 2019 Writer’s Lab Competition. Nancy has optioned a thriller and was hired to adapt both a WWII true story and a Vietnam War novel, Captain For Dark Mornings, to film. Martin Sheen is attached to the latter.

Enamored with TV, Nancy co-wrote Purgatory, a period western pilot and 2021 Austin second-rounder; co-wrote Lake Crescent, a supernatural thriller series; and Blue Hour and Funeral Club, both dark dramedy pilots. In 2021, she was rehired to co-write the Vietnam book as a limited series, which is now in development. Her latest endeavor is Exit The Machine, a co-written sci-fi feature scheduled to film in 2023.

In addition to screenwriting, Nancy served four years as Film Coordinator for the Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, Oregon; teaches pitch workshops; taught screenwriting to middle and high school students; mentors writing students; and hosts Script Frenzy, a Tuesday Zoom call for screenwriters through the ISA.

Able to laugh at herself, Nancy is thick skinned, solid in a room, collaborates with ease and comes with a plethora of life experience.

About Your Chapter Meeting

Willamette Writers meetings are free and open to all writers, 18 and up. Guests are welcome to make a donation at https://willamettewriters.org/donations/ to help support the cost of the meetings. For information on how to become a Willamette Writers member, click here: https://willamettewriters.org/register/individual/

Wellness

Willamette Writers continue to encourage mask-wearing at our in-person, indoor meetings. If you feel sick, please stay home and join us at one of our online Chapter Meetings.

Young Writers

Young writers are encouraged to join our Young Willamette Writers meetings. Sign Up! Any high school or middle-grade writers are welcome to join us. Sign up for our email list at: http://eepurl.com/hRubBf. A registration link will be sent to our email list before our next meeting.

See you at the mic!