Hello, friends!
As we move deeper into autumn, I wanted to take a moment to share some updates on recent creative projects, professional milestones, and a few personal reflections. It’s been a busy and beautiful stretch of time, filled with stories, art, and gratitude.
I’m thrilled to announce several new editions of my work have just been released:
🎭
Somebody’s Baby – Winner of the Sacramento Elly Award for Best Original Script. This teen drama takes place on a rainy Friday night in Chicago in 1997. Escaping a near date-rape situation, sixteen-year-old Tabitha stumbles into a coffee shop where she meets William, a young man dying of AIDS and abandoned by those he’s known and loved. Their chance meeting leads both to question their beliefs in God, themselves, and the world around them. Their lives are further shaped by Milvia, a waitress with a story and a dream of her own. This powerful play features roles for
two women and one man.
💔
Backfire – In this Southern-flavored short story, Evan and Cameron grow tired of keeping their love a secret in their small hometown. Dreaming of freedom, they plan to run away together — unaware that someone is determined to stop them, no matter what it takes.
🏙️
Sky Lines – This award-winning stage play follows the intertwined lives of Venita, Maggie, and Sarah — three women living in a rundown apartment building in an unnamed American city. Venita, a Black woman ostracized for marrying a white man, Maggie, trapped in a loveless marriage with five children, and Sarah, longing for glamour and crushed by depression, face the passing decades together. Over thirty-four years, they confront social and political change while fighting to assert their identities and preserve their friendship. This play features
three dynamic roles for women.
🎨
Tagged – After the homicide of her older brother, sixteen-year-old Cha’Relle is determined to honor his memory with a mural — even if it means breaking the law. As her classmate Jo Lee tries to dissuade her, the two face a moral crossroads beneath the watchful eye of a nearby police officer. This short play, featuring
two young female roles, was an
official selection for the Chicago Indie Film Awards in the category of Best Unproduced Script.
🐦 My short story
“Make It Through Winter”, a tribute to my long-ago pet pigeon Polly and our shared struggle through a tough Chicago winter, is featured in the new
Chicken Soup for the Soul collection titled
Pets, Pets, Pets.
🩸 My supernatural gay romance horror story
“Make It ’til Dawn” was recently featured on the podcast
The Velvet Coffin, beautifully read by
Makayla McIntosh. The screenplay adaptation of
Make It ’til Dawn also received the
Bangkok Society of Film Critics’ Award at the
Bangkok Movie Awards — an incredible honor.
📺 My pilot script for the original television series
Her Other Life received
Best TV Pilot Screenplay at the
Melbourne International Screenplay Awards (MISA) in Australia.
🎙️ I was also a guest on two wonderful podcasts recently —
Miles Beyond the Page and
Viral Venom — where I had the chance to discuss storytelling, creative resilience, and the many lessons learned across forty years of making art.
By day, I lead a wonderful marketing team at a beautiful university. I’m proud to share that our team received a
2025 Telly Award for a commercial we produced — a huge testament to their passion, creativity, and collaboration.
On a more personal note, I recently had the opportunity to see
Cyndi Lauper in concert — a truly transformative experience and a reminder of the power of authenticity, courage, and joy in the face of change.
And speaking of change — next up, I’ll be filming the horror movie
Midnight Maniac, alongside
Felissa Rose, the legendary star of the 1983 cult classic
Sleepaway Camp. It’s an exciting and surreal project that I can’t wait to share more about soon.
This September, I celebrated my 55th birthday with a quiet, lovely day of reflection. Lately, I’ve been giving serious thought to next steps, shifting priorities, and even — yes — retiring from most things.
After four decades of writing, acting, producing, directing, and exploring nearly every corner of the creative world, I find myself at peace with the idea of slowing down. I’ve built a body of work that I’m deeply proud of, and I’m reaching a point where I can simply let that work speak for me. More on this journey soon.
In the meantime, my gentle reminder to all of you: find joy, laughter, light, love, and magic wherever you can. Life is fleeting, unpredictable, and often miraculous — and we’re here to make it meaningful, however we can.
Wishing you all a
happy, safe, and magical Halloween season.
With love and gratitude,
Wren Valentino
“The beauty of standing up for your truth is that it never expires.”
— Janet Mock
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