December 30, 2010
CALENDAR
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Thursday, 02-17-2011 at 08:00am
Oak Lawn Community High School won high marks locally and regionally in IL for its Group Interpretation theater project based on It's Kind of a Funny Story in 2010. It's my privilege to visit the school on Thursday, February 17th, 2011.
Starting at 8am and continuing throughout the day on Thursday, I will provide my "FROM PERSONAL TO PUBLISHED" workshop to sessions of about 18 students per session. This program is about the skills and business of professional writing and has been featured at the Queens Public Library in New York.
Thank you so much to Ms. Buys and all the students that made this event possible.
9400 Southwest Highway Oak Lawn, IL 60453-2396 [site link] [google map]
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Friday, 02-18-2011 at 08:00am
I continue my visit to Oak Lawn Community High School on Friday, February 18, 2011 with the presentation of a keynote address "HOW NOT TO GO CRAZY IN HIGH SCHOOL". This address was delivered at Lake Forest High School, also in the Chicago area, in 2009; I am eager to share updates with the students at Oak Lawn.
Also, in the afternoon, I will be a speaker on a panel open to the public. If you'd like to attend the panel, the address is below. Details on a time for the keynote and details on the panel TBA. Thank you again Oak Lawn.
9400 Southwest Highway Oak Lawn, IL 60453-2396 [site link] [google map]
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Saturday, 04-02-2011 at 02:00pm
I'm excited to be appearing on a panel at the Empire State Book Festival on Saturday, April 2, 2011. The book festival will take place in Albany, NY.
The panel will focus on young adult books that have been turned into films. I will speak about It's Kind of a Funny Story's transition from book to film.
Also joining me on this panel will be Rachel Cohn, co-author of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Dash & Lily's Book of Dares!
Panel title and more panel guests TBA. Program time subject to change.
Thanks so much to the New York Library Association for organizing this event and particularly to Ellen Rubin.
This festival is open to the public and is free to all attendees!
I will be signing books.
New York State Museum, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12230 [site link] [google map]
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Thursday, 04-07-2011 at 05:00pm
In anticipation of my visit to Wallkill Senior High School the following day, I will be having dinner with school guests on Thursday, April 7, 2011 in Wallkill, NY.
More details TBA.
Wallkill, NY [site link] [google map]
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Friday, 04-08-2011 at 08:30am
As part of "Author's Day" at Wallkill Senior High School, I will present three sessions of my acclaimed workshop "From Personal to Published" to students interested in creative writing as a career.
Other authors participating in Author's Day include:
- Da Chen
- Iza Trapani
- Amy Axelrod
More authors TBA.
Thanks very much to Wallkill Senior High School for having me and I look forward to meeting everyone in "From Personal to Published"!
Wallkill Senior High School, 90 Robinson Street, Wallkill, NY 12589-3149 [site link] [google map]
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Things I am not on:
- Twitter: no account
- Myspace: yes account, but it is disabled/I don't check it
Things I am on:

there is also a FB reader group
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One reader suggested that I link pictures of Stuyvesant High School since I went there. Good idea.
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[updated 2-5-10: now see "Pants In the Mail" on YouTube!]
...In Teen Angst? Naaah..., I started a band called Wormwhole. People have emailed me asking for the Wormwhole demo, since in the book I said that first five people who contacted me about it would be allowed to buy it. Sadly, for years, Wormwhole was lost forever. We never really had a demo; we just had one tape that we recorded in my friend Ike's bedroom.
But then, one day, 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 music. Then, out of the blue, literally sent by divine intervention, was the Wormwhole tape! I don't know how it got into the middle of the tape, but my friend Marcus did a tape-to-mp3 and now, for free and forever, Wormwhole's two songs here. Above you're got "Pants In The Mail." "Lumber" is below.
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Showing 1 - 2 of 22
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videos / Audio
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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 [this is amazing]
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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. I attended and went to a author panel they had set up for younng adult readers. They had all day -long literary events scheduled for us teens and 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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Karynn Moore audtition for Noelle in It's Kind of a Funny Story
Acress Karynn Moore auditioning for Noelle. I thought Emma Roberts did a fantastic job as Noelle in It's Kind of a Funny Story but it's interesting to see other auditions for the film. This is one of many on YouTube.
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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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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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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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Amber
of PA
says: So I bought "Be More Chill" and "It's Kind of a Funny Story" yesterday.... I read "BMC" all the way through sporadically from yesterday to today and I have to say that it really was an amazing book. Picking my favorite part is kinda hard.... but I'd have to go with when Jeremy is talking to his parents "pre-squip" about going to the Halloween dance.. I just thought alot of his conversations with them were hilarious. I also loved all the banter between him and the squip in his head...
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READER ARTWORK
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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 Andrew Geronimo
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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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© Ned Vizzini 2000-2010
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