"The subtle power and intense imagination in these poems will certainly appeal to all readers. No doubt, the wealth of imagination and deeply inspired poetic fancy in these poems are quite remarkable.
'Watermelon Linguistics: New and Selected Poems' by Alexis Krasilovsky is a very powerful collection, full of vivid imagery."
-- Ellyn Maybe, poet/musician/lyricist
"Seismic poetry! 'Watermelon Linguistics' bites your conscience. Visceral as Garcia Lorca with the driving rhythms of Bartok, it penetrates your innermost, oft-repressed thoughts. Crying out against gender and racial injustice, it deserves our rapt attention."
-- Virginia Mariposa Dale, author of "Rich White Americans"
"What a journey poet Alexis Krasilovsky takes you on in her new collection of powerful and deft poems: WATERMELON LINGUISTICS. Intimate and conceptual, she communicates observed truths through vivid imagery and makes you feel her words."
-- Jocelyn Wright, performing writer, executive drama supervisor for TNT's
THE CLOSER
"Alexis Krasilovsky's poems are as lucid and vivid as the stark sorrows of life. The nuanced emotions reflected in her poems are endowed with the experience she has garnered through life and her films. The inequalities, injustice and social discrimination of a land so far away, strikes a vulnerable chord very close to home and make you realize how human failings trump political boundaries."
-- Sanjoy Ghosh, film and theatre director (India)
Alexis Krasilovsky's poetry celebrates, even as it chronicles the ruptures of the mythical, the political and the sexual. The poems are attuned to the racial and gender divides of post 1960s America and offer a mirror to the dark heart of art and relationships. Her voice is an assured, witty, feminist cry in the nation's crazy historical wilderness. She reminds us of how much freedom we have and how many wounds still need healing.
-- Ramón García, Ph.D., author of The Chronicles
I cried, laughed, and was awe-struck. I felt I was there with her during her time in Memphis. So much beauty, tragedy, and truth that you MUST read!
-- Gilda Graham, author, "Penumbra"
By Alexis Krasilovsky
Foreword by Howard A. Rodman
Routledge: New York/London, October 15, 2017
ISBN #9781138949188 $39.95 paperback
For US orders, please visit: routledge.com/9781138949188
Or: Amazon
2nd Place Winner
2019 International Writers Awards
Award Winning Finalist in the
Performing Arts: Film, Theater, Dance, Music category of the
2018 International Book Awards
Westside Writers Group:
IWOSC (Independent Writers of Southern California)
Next meeting:
Saturday, March 7, 2020
12:30 to 2:30 pm (our regular time)
Topic: Introduction to Book to Film Adaptations
Speaker: Filmmaker and CalState Northridge professor Alexis Krasilovsky
Read more about her at alexiskrasilovsky.com
She is also the author of the book, Great Adaptations.
Learn the basics of turning your book into a movie. From what makes a good book to adapt to how to find a buyer. And how do you handle it if someone else is doing the adaptation?
In addition to the presentation, there will also be a writing exercise or two, as well as a Q&A Afterwards, the satellite has reservations at Grand Casino Bakery & Cafe, which is nearby across Venice Boulevard in downtown Culver City.
For more information, see iwosc.org/los-angeles-westside-writers-group.
Listen to Blog Talk Radio's "Have Something You Want to Adapt to a Screenplay?" interview about Great Adaptations: Screenwriting and Global Storytelling
Film adaptation workshop with American professional at EMK (Edward Kennedy Center)
-- from "The Daily Observer" in Dhaka
"The recently concluded Dhaka International Film Festival had many highlights. Women Filmmakers' Conference and also the newly added 'West Meets East' seminar focusing on western arts of storytelling and filmmaking along with parallel trends in the orient were events for critical reflections.
A workshop titled The Art and Craft of Adaptation has been one such attraction to brood on. It was conducted by Professor Alexis Krasilovsky from State University of California, USA, and based on her book, "Great Adaptations: Screenwriting and Global Storytelling".
It was hosted at EMK Center in the city from January 3 to 8, 2019. The certificates to the fifty-two participants were awarded on January 17.
The workshop, The Art and Craft of Adaptation, focused on exploring the creative storytelling processes which writers employ to transform novels, short stories, plays, memoirs, biographies or historical accounts into effective screenplays."
Alexis Krasilovsky was the opening speaker at "Update: Books into Film," Wednesday, August 15th, 2019, at the Sportsmen's Lodge (Waterfalls Room), 12825 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91604. bookpublicists.org
The June 23rd, 2019 panels at the Greater Los Angeles Writers' Conference were recorded. Watch the Heroine's Journey panel discussion.
The Alliance of Women in Media SoCal held a sold-out book event for Great Adaptations at CBS Studios in February, 2019.
From the book review by Jule Selbo (screenwriter and author of "Screenplay: Building Story through Character", Professor, California State University, Fullerton), Journal of Screenwriting, Vol.9 No.1, May 2018, 121-124:
"Written in a personal and engaging style... the book is revelatory as it leaps from one salient point to another, and as its title promises, embraces screenwriting across many nations. It is specifically targeted at screenwriters who tackle adapted-for-the-screen material (be it of ancient lore, legends, literature, fact-based events, biographies or other story staples), but also speaks to the screenwriter embarking on original material... Krasilovsky compels the reader to investigate, relate and employ the deep provenance of stories and to blend themes from various sources and ideas. She has created a text that all screenwriters will find of benefit."
Georgia Jeffries, Emmy-winning writer/producer, Associate Professor, USC School of Cinematic Arts:
"To my knowledge, there are no other screenwriting books on adaptation that are as global or as inclusive of women and minorities. Professor Krasilovsky inspires both screenwriters and students alike to broaden their world and their perspectives."
Robin Swicord, writer/director, Wakefield, screenwriter, Matilda, Little Women, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button:
"Krasilovsky's book provides a motherlode of broad-ranging insights into the art of adaptation, illuminating an essential truth about the sea of stories in which we all swim. It's a book every screenwriter should read."
Robert B. Taylor, screenwriter, Muggers (Australia), Screenwriting Lecturer, Bath Spa University, UK:
"This book exhibits Professor Krasilovsky's customary diligent scholarship, her clarity of expression, her impassioned defense of quality writing and her original approach to what has, up until now, been a demagogically barren, or at best banal landscape."
AWM (Alliance for Women in Media) SoCal Board of Directors:
"We recently had the pleasure of hosting an event dedicated to Alexis Krasilovsky's outstanding book, Great Adaptations: Screenwriting and Global Storytelling, held at the CBS Radford Studio Lot. We chose to do this event with Alexis because we recognized the originality of the research it took to bring this publication to life, the significance of this book to the entertainment industry, and the clarity of the content in the book....a showcase of her extraordinary talent and ability.
By Harriet Margolis, Alexis Krasilovsky, and Julia Stein.
Intellect Press / U. Chicago 2015.
For US orders, please visit Chicago Press:
Shooting Women celebrates camerawomen who film in Hollywood, Bollywood and beyond -- from camerawomen in the 1910's to women who are filming studio features, independent films, TV movies, webisodes, news and experimental digital projects -- and fighting for gender equity behind the camera.
It's available as a book and Print on Demand, both on Amazon, and through the publishers at intellectbooks.co.uk in the UK, and press.uchicago.edu in the US.
"Shooting Women: Behind the Camera, Around the World offers a comprehensive look at the rich and largely unexplored history of camerawomen from all across the globe. In addition, Krasilovsky, Margolis, and Stein provide a detailed account of how unions have often failed to recognize discrimination against women in the workplace--and even within the union itself. Historical overviews as well as first-hand accounts of these women working behind the scenes make for a boo that is both educational and engaging."
— Melissa Silverstein — Founder and Editor of Women and Hollywood
"Shooting Women: Behind the Camera, Around the World... is a fascinating look at the history of the women who pioneered and excelled behind the camera. The book shares insights into what it takes to succeed as a camerawoman and examines women's stories from the United States and around the globe... There are heartbreaking stories of loss and bravery and the very real dangers involved with shooting in some circumstances, and stories of women who have been (or were) positively fearless throughout their careers.
For instance, Director of Photography (DP) Mary Ayubi was stoned by the Taliban for filming a documentary about the lives of women in Afghanistan. Many women interviewed in the book have filmed in war zones, including Sandi Sissel, Lisa Siedenberg, Nancy McKenna, Joan Churchill, Jan Kenny and Margaret Moth, whose face was blown off while filming in the Balkan wars. Other DPs interviewed for the book have faced bears while filming in the wilderness, or have had to contend with abusive men while filming on Hollywood sets.
The courage and perseverance of all of these women in the face of danger an discrimination is not only deeply moving but also a revealing look at the realities of the business. As Alexis Krasilovsky said, 'this is a challenging field with sometimes inadequate protections, but women have been facing challenges in this business for over a hundred years.'
...The scope of coverage is magnificent -- everything from shooting in helicopters, to music videos, to Hollywood features, to shooting the Balkan wars, etc."
— Anna Weinstein, "Documenting the Women Behind the Camera", Film International Vol.14 No.3&4 / 2016, 161-168; www.filmint.nu.
"A must-read for any woman interested in film-making. If you are looking for an invaluable gift to give a women interested in film-making or already working in the industry, this book could transform her life and career.
I took two days this week and read Shooting Women cover-to-cover. I was fascinated and very moved by it. What a gift these three authors have given to women filmmakers everywhere. This book is not just for women interested in cinematography, it's truly a must-read for anyone interested in women in film, film-making, and working in this industry.
When I put the book down I felt like I had spent two days at a retreat with a big, wonderful group of women filmmakers who deeply care about each other, and who really want to help support each others' careers.
It is easy to read, and phenomenally rich in information and wisdom. A priceless book that should be included in the curriculum of every film school around the world.
Belongs on the bookshelf of anyone interested in film-making or women in film."
— Maria Giese, Writer/Director, Hunger on November 4, 2016
"One of the most important books I have read in years. I have been a devoted fan of Alexis' book Women Behind the Camera, Conversations with Camerawomen. This new book takes that research and expands it to the global level to let us know how hard it has been for women around the world to break into technical fields. Film is often pushed out of formal STEM conversations in education, this book brings to light that women in film have the same struggles as those in engineering and computer science. In some cases the US film industry has lagged far behind other industries remaining almost unaffected by the feminist movements of the 1970s. I encourage union leaders who have seen recently tough years of scrutiny to study this text to understand why the marginalization of one population in their ranks is leading to their own dis-empowerment.
The work of these authors is so important to the discussion of how we move forward, how we heal from past wounds and how we provide women the equal opportunities. Twenty-five years ago when I entered the film industry these stories were not easily shared. Though small, this book is its own revolution. Read it."
— Monique Anair on August 31, 2016 (5 Stars on Amazon.com)
"Important book on gender studies. This book may be about women cinematographers but the resonance is far wider. it is a great study about women professionals regardless of the choice of career."
— Priya Rao on August 7, 2016 (5 Stars on Amazon.com)
"For any young woman contemplating a career in film production… this book will help to provide a clear-eyed view of what that career may look like."
—Cynthia Close, "Women Who Shoot: More Cinematography Opportunities in Docs", Documentary magazine, Fall 2016
documentary.org
By Alexis Krasilovsky.
Praeger Paperback. 1997. 248 pages. Published by greenwood.com.
Available at Amazon.
(More information at womenbehindthecamera.com)
"A fascinating book for anyone, female or male, who contemplates making a career in cinematography. It offers a great wealth of insights, evaluating the rewards and the sacrifices which are facing people behind the camera in their professional and personal lives. It opens for the reader a world of strong, courageous women who are possessed by the love of film."
—Kris Malkiewicz, author, cinematographer, faculty, California Institute of the Arts
"A vital addition to the nascent film literature regarding the participation on women in the filmmaking process. Krasilovsky is a major contributor to a long neglected but most important segment of serious commentary on our industry and art form."
— Eric Sherman, producer, author, faculty. Art Center College of Design
"[A] significant contribution-the kind of book that women entering film school should have to read. So should their teachers—and so should people in the industry."
— Dr. Charles Musser, Director, Film Studies Program, Yale University
"All of the interviews are deeply engaging and well presented."
— J. Tharp, University of Wisconsin Centers
"For Choice: Krasilovsky's research is extensive and wide-ranging."
— Prof. Suzanne Regan, Cal State L.A.
"Krasilovsky, a professor at California State University, Northridge, has written an excellent book... Recommended for all serious collections on cinema studies, and for women's studies programs as well."
— Wheeler Winston Dixon, Film Quarterly
A Street Agency Publication: Los Angeles, 1983,1985.
A Street Agency Publication: Los Angeles, 1990.