Author and Screenwriter Richard Price Speaks as Part of Visiting Writer Series

On Tuesday, September 24, renowned author and screenwriter Richard Price came to St. Sebastian’s as part of the Visiting Writer series, speaking to upperclassmen about his long and decorated career in publishing, film, and television. He visited senior Creative Writing students, junior American Literature students, and two sections of Freshman Writing, before chatting with all tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders in Ward Hall during an end-of-day assembly. 

Mr. Price has written many novels—including the forthcoming Lazarus Man, Clockers, and Lush Life—all of which have won universal praise for their vividly etched portrayals of urban America. He has written on TV shows that include The Night Of, The Deuce, and The Wire, and he’s the author of numerous screenplays, including Sea of Love, Ransom, and The Color of Money, directed by Martin Scorsese, for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. 

During his visit to campus, Mr. Price spoke to the students about growing up in the projects in the Bronx and how his grandfather’s love of poetry inspired him to pursue a career as a writer. He encouraged students to go out into the world and meet people they might not otherwise meet, finding new stories to tell. Whether speaking about his adventures in Hollywood or how to approach specific lines of dialogue, what came across above all else was Mr. Price’s passion for storytelling and deep love of the written word as a way to explore the American consciousness.