Dr. Portia, Part 1

The screenplay, Dr. Portia, that  I co-wrote with Alexia Lucas, Dr. Portia’s great-granddaughter, won Best Screenplay at the Northeast Mountain Film Festival in Dillard, Georgia, on June 15. https://northeastmountainfilmfestival.com/

I had a wonderful time and was so proud to be a part of telling Portia’s story.

Portia McKnight Lubchenco, from Blythewood, South Carolina, was the first female graduate of the North Carolina School of Medicine in 1912. She had applied to the Medical College of South Carolina in Charleston, but was rejected because she was a woman.

In 1907, she met Russian agronomist, Alexis Lubchenco, at the railway station in Ridgeway, South Carolina. Portia and her father, Peter, were there to collect the mail that had arrived on the four o’clock train from Columbia. Alexis was in the United States to study cotton hybridization on behalf of Czar Nicholas II, and had missed his train connection to Winnsboro, SC.

Portia and her father offered help to this lonley stranger. That evening, he accompanied them to their home and met the entire McKnight family. The story will continue…

Millie West wins Best Screenplay at the Northeast Mountain Film Festival

Millie West wins Best Screenplay at the Northeast Mountain Film Festival

 

Savannah, Georgia Book Signings

Recently, I traveled to Savannah, Georgia for two books signing events for The Cast Net. I had great success at both signings: The first at the classy boutique, Go Fish, on Broughton Street, and later in the day at Savannah’s Ladies Night Out. Many thanks to Julie Breedlove, Kim Taylor and Debbie Ryysylainen . . . what a wonderful experience!

The following day, I explored Savannah’s riverfront, and walked along Bull Street to Forsyth Park. The grand homes in that area are breathtaking. I even saw the mansion that General William T. Sherman used as his headquarters during the Federal occupation of Savannah during the waning months of the American Civil War.

I was intrigued by the mysterious Bonaventure Cemetery. The river front setting and ornate grave markers added to the mystery of the property. I wandered through the graveyard and thought of the people who lay underneath those solemn grounds. The statue of Gracie, the little girl who passed away at age six, following a bout of pneumonia, was spellbinding!

What a wonderful adventure: Successful book signings combined with exploring the beautiful city of Savannah, Georgia!