Elana Golden
Photo by Ivan Strasburg
… teaches writing through the use of the personal story for the sake of peacemaking and beauty.
She founded the Los Angeles based Writing Studio in January 2000, and has since taught over 4000 classes, workshops and private sessions in creative writing and screenwriting to experienced and beginning writers, as well as coached actors for auditions and parts.
In addition to the Writing Studio’s permanent location in Los Angeles, Elana taught her workshops in Colorado, Arizona, the Bay Area, and at the Skirball Cultural Center and the Levantine Cultural Center in Los Angeles. One of her life purposes is working with writers from warring nations, including Israelis and Palestinians, using creative writing to help heal from the trauma of war and promote understanding, justice and peace.
Elana holds a B.F.A. in film from New York University where she directed an award-winning short film, The Open Window, and an M.A. in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica.
Born in Bucharest, Romania, Elana has lived in the US since the mid-seventies. For twenty years she worked in film and TV in New York and Los Angeles as script-supervisor, script consultant and editor. She worked with such directors as Chris Menges, Mick Jackson and John Mackenzie. Her teachers and mentors in the area of arts and healing include Deena Metzger for creative writing, healing and dream work; Syd Field (RIP) for screenwriting; Milton Katselas (RIP) for directing and acting; Jean Houston for mythology and social artistry; and Gurumayi Chidvilasananda for meditation.
Elana wrote and directed several one-act-plays at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, and wrote four narrative feature films. Her screenplays always set universal but personal stories against regional and global conflicts.
For the past 31 years Elana has been a student of eastern philosophy and meditation. She is also a consultant in spiritual psychology, peace and human-rights activist, Reiki master, and has taught meditation in prisons.
She says:
Reach out, are we a good fit? Email me…