Joan Tewksbury

One of the leading screenwriters of the 1970s, Joan Tewkesbury gained notoriety with two scripts directed by Robert Altman: Thieves Like Us, the critically acclaimed crime drama set in the 1930s, and Nashville, a searing observation of America at the nation’s Bicentennial.

She made her feature-film directorial debut with Old Boyfriends and followed it with made-for-television films such as The Tenth Month and Cold Sassy Tree. She also directed episodes for television dramas such as Northern Exposure, Picket Fences, Doogie Howser, M.D., Felicity, and Chicago Hope.

Tewkesbury has become recognized as one of the best scriptwriter teachers. She developed a class, "Designed Obstacles, Spontaneous Response," which she has presented at Art Center, American Film Institute, Bard College, Chapel Hill, U.C.L.A., N.A.L.I.P., and various filmmaker labs and immersions throughout the United States, Israel, Europe, and Japan.

She serves as a creative advisor to the Sundance Institute Native Lab and the Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Lab, and has created a Writers Forum at Los Luceros in Alcalde, New Mexico.

Her papers reflect the range of her work, including scripts, production documents, and teaching materials.

Finding aid to come.