Tananarive Due

The Reformatory: A Journey in Adaptation

Friday, June 14, 2024, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

In this seminar, author Tananarive Due unpacks the adaptation journey of her Los Angeles Times Book Award-winning novel, The Reformatory – from its inception when she heard about her family connection to the infamous Dozier School for Boys to its publication as a short story and novel to its current development for television, including writing a pilot story and bringing in a director.

This seminar will cover how to repurpose an idea to suit many forms, how to engage over time with an emotionally challenging project, and how a willingness to embrace adaptation can create IP (Intellectual Property) and lay a path toward the screen. Due will also discuss how to embrace changes from the original material to better suit a novel for television.

Required Reading (in Reader):

Due, Tananarive. “The Reformatory.” The Boston Review, 31 Jan. 2018.

Available online at: https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/tananarive-due-reformatory/