Monday, April 30th Chat Session with Greg Neri
English III/7th 2:15-3:10 (3:15-4:10pm EST)
**WARNING! THIS IS A CLOSED SESSION CHAT. MEMBER INVITE ONLY**
Three moves
is all it takes
to change the outcome
of the game.
In Marcus’s world, battles are fought everyday–on the street, at home, and in school. Angered by his sister’s death and his father’s departure, and pushed to the brink by a bullying classmate, Marcus fights back with his fists.
One punch away from being kicked out of school and his home, Marcus encounters a mysterious chess master named CM who challenges him to fight his battles on the chess board. Marcus resists, until he hits rock bottom, and begins a journey, with CM’s help, to regain control of his life.
Inspired by recent chess enrichment programs in inner-city schools, Chess Rumble explores the ability of a strategic game to empower young people with the tools they need to anticipate their moves through life’s many challenges.
Chess Rumble Coming in Fall of ‘07.
About G. Neri
I am a storyteller, filmmaker, artist, and digital media producer.
When I was in college, I made an animated film with jazz legend Chick
Corea called
A Picasso on the Beach, which became a student Academy Award finalist
and aired on HBO and Bravo for seven years. After that, I decided to
become a filmmaker for real, and I wrote, produced, and directed my
first independent feature film called A Weekend with Barbara und
Ingrid. It opened in my favorite theater in Hollywood. Unfortunately,
it also opened on the day of the Northridge earthquake of ‘94, making
its release rather short.
I’ve taught animation and storytelling to inner city teens in Los Angeles with the ground-breaking group Animaction, producing over 300 films dealing with issues like teen violence, gangs, and drugs. I also co-directed the documentary Fa’a Samoa which followed a 15-year-old Samoan gangbanger through the mean streets of Los Angeles.
From 1993-2003, I helped pioneer the internet business, as head of production in two highly successful new media companies whose clients ranged from Disney, Mercedes, and Motorola to Microsoft, Reebok, and General Motors. In this time, I was also one of the founding members of the Truth teen anti-smoking campaign.
In 1999, I started writing and illustrating for kids, but it wasn’t until I started writing for teens that things started to happen. Now, my first two teen books for Lee and Low, Yummy and Chess Rumble, will make their debuts in 2007. I’ve just finished a YA novel called Surf Mules, about two high school surfers who get summer jobs as drug runners. And now I have an agent and a long list of projects to create. I couldn’t ask for more.
I’m currently living in Tampa, Florida with my wife and daughter, where I’m focusing on writing and watching alligators.
**WARNING! THIS IS A CLOSED SESSION CHAT. MEMBER INVITE ONLY**
Hi everyone
Hope you’ll give a big warm welcome to Greg Neri.
Your moderator will be your teacher Ms. Allan and she’ll be making sure the chat goes smoothly. To make that happen we have some rules for you to follow. Thank you for your cooperation and enjoy!
Rules:
- If you have a question to ask the guest, please type a ? and you will be put into queue to ask your question. When your name is up, please have your question ready.
-Please refrain from obscenities, personal questions, or any other unprofessional behavior.
-The moderator has the right to delete or remove any questions or answers deemed inappropriate.
-Please do not chat among yourselves. Try to keep on topic and keep questions and answers between the guest and the class member. Remember the chat is only 30 minutes long.
-Anyone that violates the rules will be asked to leave the forum.
Remember to click the refresh button on your browser to regularly update the comments. If you have questions, ask the moderator.
by Patrizia Hayashi April 30th, 2007 at 5:12 amHi!
My name is Sasha. I’ll be here hanging out for this afternoon’s chat session with Greg Neri just in case I am needed.
Ms. Allan did a wonderful job of moderating for the chat with Jenny that I think I’ll just blend in with the class and let her handle this one as well. If you need me just give me a shout out.
by Sasha Tomaszycki April 30th, 2007 at 12:02 pmHey Sasha, I am here whenever people get settled.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:06 pmGreg - you are in the right place.
by Sasha Tomaszycki April 30th, 2007 at 12:11 pmWhere do you get yours ideas and influences for the things you write? Are they things you just think of or are they real life situations?
by Chelsea Broussard April 30th, 2007 at 12:25 pmI am definitely inspired by real life. Life is so much more interesting and amazing that whatever I totally make up will not be as good. So I start with real life events and then make stuff up.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:26 pmHow many books have you written? Where do you get your ideas for writing them?
by Peter Daigle April 30th, 2007 at 12:26 pmhey..what inspired you to start writing?
by Matt Garner April 30th, 2007 at 12:27 pmdid you have alot of people that told you that you could not do it
by Tungaroo (@-_-@) April 30th, 2007 at 12:27 pmWhat inspired you to write your book?
by Karlee April 30th, 2007 at 12:27 pmWriting took along time to find me. I was a filmmaker and an artist then a new media producer. I started writing because these different mediums needed a script to work off of. But I never thought I’d be a real writer till now.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:28 pmHey how old were you when you wrote your first book? What inspired you?
by Jasmine Moore April 30th, 2007 at 12:29 pmI have written alot of books…2 are coming out, another hopefully will be sold soon. And a few you will never see. It takes practice!
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:29 pmWhile growing up is writing what you have always wanted to do?
by Kendra April 30th, 2007 at 12:30 pmWhat is your ethnic race?
by Matt Garner April 30th, 2007 at 12:30 pmI was 26 when I sold my first book (which never came out) then I sold a book for real when I was 34.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:31 pmWhat was the most interesting thing that has happened to you in the past?
by ?Karlee April 30th, 2007 at 12:31 pmI’m Mexican, Filipino & Creole (French, African, Spanish, Native American) or as we say Crefilican-American or more acurately Nafranishafripinocan.
My daughter is half German…she’s gonna have to figure it out on her own!
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:32 pmWhere did your inspiration for writing teen books come from?
by Maegan & Justin April 30th, 2007 at 12:32 pmHow long have you been writing? What made you want to write teenage novels?
by Eugene Smithers April 30th, 2007 at 12:33 pmI wanted to be a cartoonist when I was growing up. Or the starting wide receiver for the LA Rams. But now I am illustrating and writing.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:33 pmHow many children do you have? and are they writers also?
by Kendra April 30th, 2007 at 12:33 pmExactly how long have you been writing for, and how does it make you feel?
by Jasmine Moore April 30th, 2007 at 12:33 pmWhat type of stories do you like writing?
by ?Maegan & Justin April 30th, 2007 at 12:34 pmWriting for teens happened by accident. I was writing and illustrating for kids but these books kept getting postponed. I had a filmscript that I never made and was suddenly inspired to make it into a graphic novel called YUMMY which will be out next year.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:34 pmhow did you come up with the Truth antismoking campaign?
by Jasmine Chavis April 30th, 2007 at 12:34 pmWho inspired you to write?
by Andrew April 30th, 2007 at 12:35 pmI have one daughter who is six and loves to draw and write little picture books (even though she is just learning to read)
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:35 pmas a black man was it a stuggle to get your career started
by roxie & cody April 30th, 2007 at 12:36 pmI like writing unusual stories that are inspired by real events or people that made me think “THAT would make a great story.”
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:36 pmwhat kind of music do you listen to? And whats your favorite artist
by Matt G April 30th, 2007 at 12:37 pmIf that a question, then the answer is Maya Angelou.
by Jasmine Chavis April 30th, 2007 at 12:37 pmSorry if I miss some questions here and there… I am really a brown man but I like to think it has never been an issue for me. I have done alot of great things in life so far.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:37 pmso what got you into writing for teens ?
by nicole- coco April 30th, 2007 at 12:38 pmI love music and love all kinds. I like unusally stuff, loud and with a beat.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:38 pmHow long did it take u to write your books & what inspired u to write them?
by ?Bertha April 30th, 2007 at 12:39 pmThe Truth campaign came out of a lawsuit in Florida against tobacco. The money went towards an anti smoking campaign for teens. We wanted to make it a teen movement that really stood out and made a message loud and clear.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:40 pmwhat qualities make up a good writer
by caldon April 30th, 2007 at 12:40 pmI just finished a novel that took me 2 and a half years, off and on. Some are quick, a few months.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:41 pmhow do you fell when you write.
by Adam April 30th, 2007 at 12:41 pmTHATS SO AWESOMEEEE
by Chelsea & pETER April 30th, 2007 at 12:41 pmWas the book Chess Rumble based on your real life experiences?
by Maegan & Justin April 30th, 2007 at 12:41 pma good writer is a good rewriter. Someone who can stick to it and not be afraid to change the story for the better. Don’t talk about writing, just do it!
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:42 pmHow many novels have you written?
by Eugene Smithers April 30th, 2007 at 12:42 pmWhat are the other two books that are coming out like?
by Chelsea Broussard April 30th, 2007 at 12:42 pmChess Rumble was a story that I was asked to do by my editor but it evolved from a few real life role models and became something that surprised even me.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:43 pmHow did u put ur book together at first?
by ?Bertha April 30th, 2007 at 12:43 pmDo you want your children to write books like you?
by ?Karlee April 30th, 2007 at 12:43 pmWHAT ARE HOPING THAT WE AS TEENAGERS GET FROM YOUR BOOKS?
! 
by jasmine moore April 30th, 2007 at 12:43 pmWriting makes me feel amazing when it is flowing, like I can do anything. When I’m stuck, it’s really hard but you just gotta work your way out of a funk.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:44 pmwho is your favorite writer
by roxie & cody April 30th, 2007 at 12:44 pm?is there a way to win a chess game in under 20 moves,and did chess inspire you for what you do now
by jesse April 30th, 2007 at 12:44 pmwhat other interests do you have besides writing?
by MATT GARNER April 30th, 2007 at 12:44 pmYou said you write from real events, have you ever written about freinds or family events or experiences and them get upset because you wrote about them?
by Kendra April 30th, 2007 at 12:45 pmcan you ride horses
by Adam April 30th, 2007 at 12:45 pmI hope my book will plant a seed in all your brains, that life is full of unexpected people and places and that life at its darkest always has a door to the light.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:45 pmwhat is your most favorite book that you have written
by caldon April 30th, 2007 at 12:45 pmDo your family and friends support your writing, and if so are they included in your writings?
by Maegan & Justin April 30th, 2007 at 12:45 pmOutside in the world, there is so much entertainment and opportunities, how do you find the time to just sit and write a story?
by Jasmine Chavis April 30th, 2007 at 12:46 pmwhat is your favorite cajun food
by allen April 30th, 2007 at 12:46 pmI once joined a Chess tournament when I was in 6th grade, convinced I could beat my opponant in 10 moves. I was so sure of my strategy that I didn’t see the big picture and I got beat instead. That’s a big part of Chess Rumble, seeing the big picture of life.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:46 pmI have written one novel, one graphic novel, an illustrated free verse book and am working on a couple more. I’ve sold a few illustrated books for little kids.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:47 pmdo u get paid to do this ?
by nicole April 30th, 2007 at 12:48 pmFav writers. Check out my reading list for favs:
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:48 pmhttp://gregneri.com/g.neri_readinglist.html
I love me a big pot o Gumbo!
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:49 pmdid u ever include anything about ur life in your books?
by ?Bertha April 30th, 2007 at 12:49 pmI am blessed that my family has always supported me in my creative life. Even after I quit my high paying job to write, they never asked me when I was gonna get a “real” job. Writing is hard enough, without support is is a tough battle.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:50 pmI love to play basketball, body surf, see movies , go looking for gators in the swamps nearby.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:51 pmwho is your favorite writer
by roxie & cody April 30th, 2007 at 12:51 pmwhat are your other interests besides writing??
by MATT GARNER April 30th, 2007 at 12:51 pmI am in my books undirectly. I do have a few projects in mind based on my own personal stories but haven’t written them yet. Some especially the one I just finished and the new one I’m doing now are in the worlds that I grew up in.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:52 pmwhenever you play chess do you think of more stuff to write
by Adam April 30th, 2007 at 12:53 pmi am an inspiring poet what advice would you give me to start of my career
by unknown April 30th, 2007 at 12:54 pmHow did I put my first book together? It was easy because i took an animated film I did and just made a book version of it. My first real book Yummy, was taken from a film script I did. But the new books are much harder because I am making them from scratch.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:54 pmHow were ur parents like wen u were a teen?
by ?Bertha April 30th, 2007 at 12:54 pmYou can ignore Nicole’s question if you wish.
by Sasha Tomaszycki April 30th, 2007 at 12:55 pmwhere are you from?
by unknown April 30th, 2007 at 12:55 pmthanks for your time my
by Jasmine Moore April 30th, 2007 at 12:55 pmIf you are writing, write from the heart. the best stuff is the stuff we keep bottled up and never share with anybody. Use a fake pen name if you have too but write about that stuff, the private things that everyone has in common but never talks about.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:56 pmI am from Los Angeles. Now one of you tell me something about you all. Where are you now and what is your school/town like?
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:57 pmGreg - thank you so much for chatting today. If there are any unanswered questions. you can answer them later and we can then forward them to Ms. Allan.
by Sasha Tomaszycki April 30th, 2007 at 12:58 pmWe are in Lake Charles. And there is nothing to do for kids in this city.
by unknown April 30th, 2007 at 12:58 pmI got lucky. I have great parents who liked art and book and movies. They thought it was great what I was doing even if it was painful to watch the struggle.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 12:58 pmwe run track, and we are going to state in baton rouge to run at LSU on saturday! plus my birthday is sunday! MAY 6
by Jasmine Moore April 30th, 2007 at 12:58 pmwe live in lake charles, louisiana. its a small town, we got hit by hurricane rita. but mrs. allans making us say goodbye becuase time is up so thank you for your time you are an awesome person!
by Chelsea Broussard April 30th, 2007 at 12:59 pmThank you for all your time & patience in answering ALL of our questions :]
by Kendra April 30th, 2007 at 12:59 pmIt’s time for us to go home now haha, thanks again!
BYEE THANKS FOR TALKIN TO US!!!!!
by Karlee April 30th, 2007 at 12:59 pmThanx 4 ur time!
by ?Bertha April 30th, 2007 at 1:00 pmThat’s it? I was just getting started. Well, I will see what questions I didn’t get to. I let you all know when Chess Rumble is coming out (soon).
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 1:00 pmBye!
by ?Bertha April 30th, 2007 at 1:00 pmmrs. allan is bringing everyone back to class;. she said thank you very much for your time! and can we e-mail you in the future?
by Jasmine Moore April 30th, 2007 at 1:00 pmThanks for talking with me. It was fun. I do like Louisiana! Good luck on your track run!
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 1:01 pmwe thought that we only had 30 minutes, thats why we didnt stay longer.
by Jasmine Moore April 30th, 2007 at 1:01 pmbut if you want 3 of us are here and we would like to continue to talk to you.. if thats okay?
by Jasmine Moore April 30th, 2007 at 1:02 pmAwesome chat session, Greg.
Ptrizia will send you the transcrripts. Anything you wish to add or didn;t get to answer you can fill in and send back to Patrizia. She’ll forward everything to Ms. Allan.
Again, thank you so much for taking the time to come out today. Best of luck with the release of Chess Rumble.
BTW, I love graphic novels;) Have to know someday how you get into that fun genre.
Sasha
by Sasha Tomaszycki April 30th, 2007 at 1:04 pmYou can always email me: greg@gregneri.com.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 1:08 pmI expect someone to send me a picture of your class if possible…
Thanks, Sasha. Is there’s anyone who wants to ask any last questions still?
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 1:10 pmI have a question. Graphic novels are a cross between art and story writing. How did you get started dabbling with them?
by Sasha Tomaszycki April 30th, 2007 at 1:12 pmBy accident really. I was trying to find a way to tell the Yummy story, which started as a film script and eventually became a picture book manuscript. But when a friend started making a graphic novel and showed me, it suddenly clicked that it would be perfect for the story, cinematic like the movie but allow me to not be as linear. I only really got into graphic novels after I started writing one!
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 1:16 pmWay cool. Did you write the story and do the illustrations too?
by Sasha Tomaszycki April 30th, 2007 at 1:17 pmI wrote the story but didn’t want to do the 700 drawings to make it. Plus my illustration style wasn’t right for the story. But I am thinking about doing a book with my illustrations. I’ve learned a lot with these two coming out.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 1:19 pmVery interesting. 700 drawings! Wow. I really got count some of the pictures next time.
Is writing a graphic novel like writing a book or more like writing a script? Or is it something entirely different?
by Sasha Tomaszycki April 30th, 2007 at 1:21 pmIt more like writing a script and storyboarding it. But it is more literary in that you can take side trips and set up facts or what ever, like footnotes.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 1:28 pmChess Rumble is something totally new and different. I don’t know anything like it: an illustrated free verse novella…
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 1:29 pmDo you know of any good book that tells how to write a graphic novel?
by Sasha Tomaszycki April 30th, 2007 at 1:29 pmI never really looked at that kind of stuff, I learned more by reading great graphic novels (see my reading list). But Scott McCloud is supposedly the best at that. He has several books out.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 1:31 pmWhat’s great about the format is, there are no real rules.
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 1:32 pmExcellent.
Greg, it has been a treat chatting with you.
Looks like the little one has a hungry look in his eyes. Best go feed him or suffer his wrath.
Any time you need to anything, please don’t hesitate to give Patrizia or I a shout out. When Chess Rumble drops let us know and we’ll promo for you on YACWW.
Again, thanks so much for taking time to talk. It’s been a pleasure.
by Sasha Tomaszycki April 30th, 2007 at 1:34 pmSame here. It was fun. See you…
by Greg Neri April 30th, 2007 at 1:35 pm