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November 23, 2011
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CALENDAR
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Friday, 01-27-2012 at 05:00pm
Due to my new job writing for MTV's Teen Wolf, the B&N; Teen Writing Workshop will take a haitus for fall 2011 and resume in 2012!
The B&N; Teen Writing Workshop meets on the last Friday of the month to address a specific writing skill (e.g. "dialogue," "the anti-hero") through discussion and writing prompts.
The next event hosted by me is Friday, January 27th at 5:00pm in Glendale, CA.
This is a FREE event open to middle- and high-school students. Barnes & Noble will provide refreshments. Student work will be featured on the online journal Give Us Money.
210 Americana Way (2nd floor event area), Glendale, CA 91210 [site link] [google map]
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Pictures
My pictures are located on my Flickr account. I add new pictures frequently. They're not all of me. I use my Flickr account to upload pictures for my blog entries.
One reader suggested that I link pictures of Stuyvesant High School since I went there. Good idea.
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| I recorded music from age 13 to age 22. I played bass and some guitar (although I could never play chords). I occasionally sang. |
In Teen Angst? Naaah..., I started a band called Wormwhole (as detailed in the essay "Are We Alternative Now?"). In the book, I said that first five people who contacted me about the band would be allowed to buy a copy of our demo.
To my surprise many people have emailed me asking for the Wormwhole demo, but sadly, for years, the single tape I recorded with my friend Ike was lost.
But then, a few years after the book was published, I was trying to make a mix tape on my stereo. I popped in an old tape to see if it was something I could tape over, and there was all this weird religious chanting. Then, out of the blue, literally sent by God, was the Wormwhole tape!
I don't know how it got into the middle of the tape of religious chanting, but I did a tape-to-mp3 conversion, and now, for free and forever, Wormwhole's two songs are here on this website. Above you're got "Pants In The Mail." "Lumber" is below.
In 2010 I made a video for "Pants in the Mail" that's on YouTube.
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Showing 1 - 2 of 20 (Complete Archive of Music I've Recorded)
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videos
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| As of 2011, new videos are posted on my YouTube channel. |
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It's Kind of a Funny Story Student Trailer
From YouTube user JakkJones: "This was a film project for my sister's English class. It's a fake trailer for a movie based on Ned Vizzini's novel It's Kind of a Funny Story."
More Funny Story student projects:
- It's Kind of a Funny Story soundtrack book report
- It's Kind of a Funny Story student film
- It's Kind of a Funny Story student film WITH PREVIEWS OF ROB SCHNEIDER'S THE STAPLER
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It's Kind of a Funny Story Theatrical Interpretation
In March 2010, Oak Lawn Community High School put on a theatrical performance of It's Kind of a Funny Story called a "Group Interp," or "Group Interpretation" project. They used the text of the book but presented it with a Greek chorus. Very cool and inventive stuff!
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BE MORE CHILL [orb#1]
A Be More Chill reader video project. Also see the Be More Chill student film with fire at the end.
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"Love And Longing" at the Brooklyn Book Festival 2009
From YouTube user chocochip16: "The brooklyn book festival took place at columbus park by brooklyn borough hall in NYC on Sunday September 13, 2009. At the festival there was a section for young adults.... this video is one of the panels that includes three talented young adult writers, Aimee Friedman ( Sea Change), Anna Godbersen ( The luxe series), and Ned Vizzini ( Be more Chill)."
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Attack of the Killer Turtle Attack of the Killer Turtle, as described in Teen Angst? Naaaah...! It was uncovered after years and is presented here in all its glory.
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Be More Chill Play
The theatrical adaptation of Be More Chill! Adapted by Bill Massolia, starring Jake Cohen as Jeremy and Edward Paul as the squip (seen in Keanu Reeves regalia).
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Just Craig
An IKOAFS video made with Sims 2 by alexatetris.
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"Sonogram" Reading at KGB Bar #1
Audio only: this is a snippet from a book that I abandoned about a man who comes home to find a sonogram taped to his door.
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"Sonogram" Reading at KGB Bar #2
Audio only.
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"Sonogram" Reading at KGB Bar #3
Audio only.
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HOW TO FIND ME ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
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Things I am on:
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Things I am not on:
- Twitter: no account; I will start an account if I get to 5000 friends on Facebook
- Tumblr: no account
- Myspace: yes account, but it is disabled/I don't check it
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As part of my involvement with the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, I take questions about the skill and business of writing in the "Ask Ned" feature:
Click through for instructions on how to ask your own!
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Submitted by readers through the contact page.
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Tom
of United Kingdom
says: Hi Mr Vizzini,
I am sure you get emailed this a lot and I'm sorry to needlessly add to your inbox but I was absolutely blown away by the conclusion to your book "It's Kind of a Funny Story". In particular, the last page and the life affirming final few paragraphs gave me a feeling, whilst I was reading them, that left me genuinely inspired and simultaneously moved. It reminded me in many ways of a quotation from one of my favourite films 'A Single Man' :"A few times in my life I've had moments of absolute clarity, when for a few brief seconds the silence drowns out the noise and I can feel rather than think, and things seem so sharp and the world seems so fresh. I can never make these moments last. I cling to them, but like everything, they fade. I have lived my life on these moments. They pull me back to the present, and I realize that everything is exactly the way it was meant to be." I really am grateful that there are people in the world such as yourself (and Bruce Springsteen to name another) that motivate me to believe that everything is worth while despite all the shit. Thanks for everything and I wish you all the best in the future ( also hoping that the film is as good as I believe it can be with the directors involved ). Tom
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Valerie
of CA
says: Thanks so much for writing It's Kind of A Funny Story. I felt like you were echoing my exact thoughts about school and the pressure to do well, but in a horny and neurotic guy's perspective. This was the first book of yours that I read and I immediately bought Teen Angst and Be More Chill. Teen Angst was the one that made me laugh the most, mostly because it was factual I guess. I'm kind of considering becoming a writer, since it's one of the only things I've been doing since I was really young (sports and playing instruments aren't really my thing) and because of the several writers who have inspired me. I guess the thing I like about your writing is it's probably more honest than most people will get and it's funny, painfully angst ridden, but funny. IKAFS and Be More Chill propelled me not to take high school so seriously, since really, it doesn't matter all that much so thanks for that. There should be more funny but intelligent and honest writers like you around. There's this one section in Be More Chill that I really loved because it was real and dark but still really hilarious. Jeremy is saying that "whatever cool is" he missed it and that he's not the freak but Rich is the freak and that when he grows up "that had better be understood" and that he had better be compensated or he'd shoot himself in the head. I feel that way a lot. High school is such a bad place to judge how "cool" people are and I take solace in knowing that things will change eventually. So thanks for those words.
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Theresa
of TX
says: Your book was so good. I loved the way you write. Reading "It's Kind of a Funny Story",actually helped me understand my anxiet better. My favoriet part was when he drew the maps in the heads. That was so creative and made sense! I've learned that the things that i worry about at mostly just in my head.
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Maryann
of Newfoundland, Canada
says: My FAVORITE part in the whole book, was when Craig was talking about the dogs having sex. And he said 'That must have been some wild dog sex'. That was AMAZING! And aslo the part where one person said "OH!" then another person said "SON!" & high fived.
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Max
of Ontario, Canada
says: I've read all of your books, Mr. Vizzini, but I'd say I favour the one I own, "It's Kind of a Funny Story." I remember actually LAUGHING really hard (something I NEVER do when reading) at all the conversations between Craig and the army dude in his head. I always looked forward to the next Craig/Army guy conversation. Those were my favourite parts of all your books.
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READER ARTWORK
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| A sample. For more, see the Flickr set. |
by Andrew Geronimo
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by Kendall R. Romero
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by Jordan
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by Maddie Smith
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by Holly
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by Billy Galant
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by farewell_dear
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by Alex
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by Christa Yeung
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by Ross Kahn
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by Julia
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Feast your eyes and ears on this recap of the squip campaign, 2004-2005, which was created to promote Be More Chill. This video is dedicated to all of the readers who helped spread the word about the book. Thank you!
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This chapter of Be More Chill, which goes into explicit detail about what Jeremy does on the internet, was included in the first draft of the book but taken out (wisely) by my editor. Here it is for those who are curious.
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 © Ned Vizzini 2000-2011
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