Sands Hall is the author of the award-winning memoir, Reclaiming My Decade Lost in Scientology (Counterpoint); Blackstone Audio produced the audio book, read by the author. Her novel, Catching Heaven, is a Willa Award finalist. Her award-winning essays and stories have appeared in such journals as Alta Journal, New England Review, Iowa Review, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. She co-directs the Nonfiction/Memoir program at the Community of Writers. sandshall.com [F/NF/M]
2024 Special Programs
Patricia K. Meyer has written screenplays for Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, and the major studios and produced movies for television. Her producing debut, the ABC miniseries, The Women of Brewster Place, starring Oprah Winfrey, earned an Emmy® nomination and Image Award. Meyer has taught screenwriting for 25 years, at Chapman, the AFI Conservatory, and, currently, at Loyola Marymount University. In 2019, she was named top film educator by Variety. Meyer earned a BA in History & Literature from Harvard University and an MFA in Fiction Writing from Boston University. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Will Richardson is Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Tahoe Institute for Natural Science (TINS) which is a member-supported nonprofit organization seeking to advance the natural history, conservation, and ecosystem knowledge of the Tahoe region through science, education, and outreach. Since 2010, TINS has promoted stewardship of the Tahoe region, bringing a deeper understanding and appreciation of the region’s natural resources to children, adults, and land managers.
Will has lived in the Tahoe area since 1994, and has been intensively studying the region’s natural history and ecosystems ever since. He is slowly chipping away at a status and distribution guide for the birds of the Lake Tahoe basin, but his interests span all taxa: he has authored papers on chipmunks, butterflies, tiger beetles, dragonflies, and the discovery of a second species of salamander occurring in the Tahoe basin.
Will received his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno, studying bird communities in Sierra Nevada aspen habitats. He’s never not birding, but he also attempts to squeeze in backcountry skiing, climbing, sea-kayaking, Ulitmate Frisbee, and the occasional music gig. He has been leading nature walks for the Community of Writers since 2012.
Stacy Spruill watched an ungodly amount of television as a child and her bad habits actually paid off. She is a screenwriter, director, TV showrunner, and university professor. Stacy has had features optioned by notable Hollywood talent and has written for streaming networks on both multi-camera and single-camera series. Her shorts have screened at over forty film festivals, including Cannes and Toronto. A proud alumna of U.C. Berkeley and The AFI Conservatory, Stacy lives in Los Angeles and is the Assistant Chair of The Screenwriting Department at Loyola Marymount University.