I am pleased to announce that my short play, Happy Lives Sold Here, won 3rd place in this year’s Seven Hills Literary Competition. Sponsored by the Tallahassee Writers Association (TWA), the Seven Hills Literary Review is published annually with the winners of the various divisions of the contest, and this year Happy Lives Sold Here will be included in the 10-minute play category.
I would like to thank all of my colleagues, mentors, friends and family who have provided such valuable feedback to me as I developed this play. In particular, readings at Playwright’s Center of San Francisco (PCSF; 2019 PlayOffs performance pictured) and Orange Coast Playwrights Studio (OCPS) were very beneficial. Happy Lives Sold Here is a brief peek at a dystopian world of the future, when human lives are commodities designed, built and sold at the Happy Life Store.
The mission of TWA is to support writers of all levels through education, connection, promotion, and outreach. Founded in 1984, TWA is made up of journalists, novelists, creative nonfiction authors, poets, children’s authors, screenwriters and playwrights. The Literary Competition is over two decades old, and the Literary Review is part of TWA’s international outreach.
I resonate with TWA’s statement on the freedom of expression: “It is a marvelous freedom only realized in the last few centuries. Cherish that right, exercise it. Express your thoughts, dreams and disappointments. Shine light where it needs to illuminate inequity, create joy where there is sorrow, inspire others to take this same path. Write on and set fire to your page.”
Sincerely fired up,
Scott