Shout Outs for Amy Friedman and Jim Pentecost, From Page to Stage

Amy Friedman is a remarkable teacher who not only ingrained in me the nuts and bolts of personal essay writing, rewriting and editing, but also inspired a deep love and appreciation for the form. - Hillary Carlip -- Creator, Host and Editor of FRESH YARN: The Online Salon for Personal Essays

I walked into Amy Friedman's class on a lark, with no essay writing experience. I walked out not only with two soon-to-be published essays, but with a new career. She's more than a teacher, she is a mentor, a coach, and an inspiration. And no one is better at getting to the meat of your piece, well before you know what the heck you're writing about. - Alan Olifson -- Humor Columnist, Writer and Performer

If you choose to work with Amy Friedman you will have an ace in your back pocket. She is magical…. Besides being an extraordinary editor/teacher/mentor/one-woman cheerleading squad, Amy sees the big picture of where your writing might take you. She is transformative. The real deal. - Lauren Tom -- actress, The Joy Luck Club, Friends, Bad Santa.

Her amazing ability to find the leaks (a colorless, odorless gas to the untrained eye) has changed my writing in the most incredible ways. They say that everyone needs one good teacher in their lives. I'm so glad to have found mine in Amy Friedman. - Michelle Boyaner -- screenwriter, author

Finding a good writing teacher can feel like Goldilocks visiting the Three Bears. Some instructors aren't challenging enough, while others' inability to connect with your work leave you feeling cold. Amy Friedman offers a balance that is just right. She is exceptionally nurturing and supportive during the creative process while still exercising tough love come editing time. Amy has a true gift for seeing directly to the heart of the work andhelping the writer to better define what it is exactly they wish to express. - Lan Tran -- Writer and Performer

What makes Amy Friedman the most extraordinary of teachers is her devotion to the story as well as to the story teller -- both of which will benefit from her insight, guidance and wisdom. Amy doesn't see words on a page -- she sees the heart of the story and the soul of the story teller. She doesn't just want you to write your story, she wants you to know it. She wants to know the language and rhythm and voice that make it unlike any story ever told. - Melissa Roth -- Writer

From Page to Stage is a course in self-deprecation, self-love, and self-discovery. Then, of course, you have to read your story to 100 people. Amy and Jim know how to criticize without crushing a person, and how to give tips without leaving fingerprints all over the place. They're great. I think I grew more the summer I took From Page to Stage than I have in three years. As a writer and as a person. From Page to Stage is a million times more productive than other writing or acting courses I've taken. In part this is because Jim and Amy aren't pretentious. (true story) - Erica Pool -- Los Angeles high school student

Going into From Page to Stage I had two big fears: One, that I didn't have anything interesting to say onstage, and two, that I would look like a fool saying it. Amy and Jim worked with me on both my writing and my presentation and, thankfully, neither one of my fears was realized. As a matter of fact, the reading was a great experience and I've been recommending this class to all my friends. - Steve Schneider, Writer

Amy Friedman and Jim Pentecost are a masterful team; they brought out the very best in me and all the others. Amy's clarification of my words, and her assistance in ordering my mind gave me the springboard to create a great piece and the expertise to finish it. Jim's assistance took the quake from my voice and the shiver from my hand, and let my piece be unhindered by its inexperienced writer, instead turning me into the perfect on-stage story teller. The environment of being surrounded by other writers writing is a wonderful tap to one's own creative juices. I've never had so much fun with any class or seminar, nor been so happy with the results. Ever. - Brian Miskowich

I can truly say that Brian's experience taking From Page to Stage with Jim and Amy changed his life. With Amy's editing and brilliance at bringing connection to the words and Jim's incredible directing and ability to connect with the person, Brian was able to do something he had never dreamed of doing. I cannot recommend this course too much; it is brilliantly conceived and wonderfully taught. - Meredith Miscowitch, (Brian's mom)

I signed up for From Page to Stage as a person who always wanted to write but didn't know how to start and was afraid to make a fool of myself. The environment Amy and Jim created was inspiring, motivating, and best of all creatively safe. I felt fully supported and encouraged by them and consequently by the rest of the students as well. Jim got us on our feet doing basic acting exercises, an excellent way to get the juices flowing and clear our heads. Amy's method of teaching allows you to jump right in without fear and then hone in on the work so, before you know it, you have an essay. Amazing! I can't recommend it enough. I find myself writing every time I get a chance. I may have to take another course to learn how to stop. - Francesca Bartocinni

From Page to Stage is a focused, intense writing environment resulting in a new story. The camaraderie that Amy and Jim create makes the work all the more fun. I recommend this class for anyone ready to sit down and write. Put your writing process in the capable hands of From Page to Stage and wonderful things will happen. - A Karno -- A Karno Photography

Amy Friedman is by far the best writing teacher I have ever had, and I am not the only person who feels that way. She has inherent warmth, an openness to all types of material, a sharp instinct, a diplomatic and direct approach, an ability to pick the gem out of a mess of story, an openness to new forms, and an inventive, progressive, and original approach. Amy successfully nurtures and pushes her students to reach their potential as writers. Anyone would be lucky to have her for a mentor. - Nora Zelevansky -- Writer and Performer

A year studying memoir writing with Amy Friedman is far more effective at exorcising demons than a decade of therapy -- not to speak of the exhilarating power of discovering my voice. - Yvonne Chotzen -- Television Producer/Attorney

The time spent on From Page to Stage, the course set up by Amy Friedman and Jim Pentecost at the 'Secret Rose Theatre' in North Hollywood, was amazing. Stimulating. Satisfying. To watch my eight fellow students visibly improve over this period, encouraged, goaded and cajoled by our two mentors was pure joy. And the same thing happened to me! Thanks to the unbelievable support given to us by Amy and Jim we all progressed from being nervous writers to convincing performers in just over six weeks. The night of our show in a packed theatre was astonishing and exciting. We were good. Or if we weren't good, for one night only, we persuaded an audience that we were. What a great course! When's the next one? - Alan Murgatroyd, Documentary Producer, Liverpool, England