Screenwriters Announced for Inaugural Meryl Streep Writers Lab

New York Women in Film & Television and the Iris film collective have announced the12 screenwriters for the inaugural Meryl Streep's Writers Lab, according to Variety.

The Academy Award-winning actress has fully funded the prject which "provides script development for female writers over the age of 40." Teaming with the Writers Guild of America East, the lab received over 3,500 submissions in its first year.

The participants and their scripts are as follows:

Sarah Bird, "Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen"

Vanessa Carmichael, "The American"

Tracy Charlton, "Raised Up"

Kellen Hertz, "Ashburn"

Anna Hozian, "Anchor Baby"

Lyralen Kaye, "St. John the Divine in Iowa"

Jan Kimbrough, "The Glastonbury Cow Party"

Billie Mason, "The Cargo"

Peres Owino, "Basketweaver"

Gretchen Somerfeld, "Face Value"

Janet Stilson, "Jaguar Trail"

Kim Turner, "It Goes Like This"

The event is scheduled for September 18 to 20 at upstate New York's Wiawaka Center. This year's mentors include Jessica Bendinger ("Bring It On"), Caroline Kaplan ("Time Out of Mind"), Meg LeFauve ("Inside Out"), Darnell Martin ("Cadillac Records"), Lydia Dean Pilcher ("Darjeeling Limited"), Gina Prince-Bythewood ("Secret Life of Bees"), Mary Jane Skalski ("Win Win") and Kirsten Smith ("Legally Blond").

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos