Curated playlist

American women screenwriters

Amy PoehlerAmy Poehler plays a fictional city official who invented a holiday for the 13th of February, and real people now celebrate it. The holiday is Galentine's Day. It began as a single storyline in the second season of Parks and Recreation, and…
Ayn RandWhen Ayn Rand died in New York City on the 6th of March 1982, her funeral included a six-foot floral arrangement shaped like a dollar sign. The tribute suited a woman who had turned self-interest into a moral code. She was born Alisa…
Carrie FisherCarrie Fisher once asked to be reported as drowned in moonlight, strangled by her own bra.
Rashida JonesRashida Jones was still a teenager in 1994 when she answered one of the best-known rappers in America in print. Tupac Shakur had made scathing remarks in The Source about her parents' interracial marriage. Her open letter in reply drew…
Patty JenkinsPatty Jenkins was seven when her father, a fighter pilot, died. Soon after, a Superman movie caught her.
Gillian AndersonGillian Anderson was arrested on her graduation night. She had broken into her own high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, hoping to glue the locks of its doors shut. Her classmates had voted her "class clown," "most bizarre girl" and "most…
Lena DunhamLena Dunham once filmed herself in a bikini, brushing her teeth in a public fountain at Oberlin College. She posted the video online, and it went viral. The reaction startled her. Pages of comments argued about how fat she was or was not,…
Leslye HeadlandLeslye Headland once served as Harvey Weinstein's personal assistant. She later turned that job into a play, Assistance.
Leigh BrackettLeigh Brackett's last draft of a Star Wars sequel was thrown out. She still received a screenplay credit.
Penelope GilliattPenelope Gilliatt was born Penelope Ann Douglass Conner on the 25th of March 1932, and she died on the 9th of May 1993. The English writer worked as a novelist, a short story writer, a screenwriter and a film critic. She held all four…