AB production: "One of the Miracles" shared by Student Fimmakers
"Studentfilmmakers.com, The #1 Educational Resource for Film & Video Makers" (www.studentfilmmakers.com) shard the story of "One of the Miracles: The Inge Meyring Smith Story." Read more here.
Stafford’s Holocaust / Civil Rights "Miracles" Documentary Harrowing
When filmmaker Clay Stafford set out to make a simple, but powerful film about one woman's efforts to change the world one child at a time, he had no idea the emotional reception it would receive. The mesmerizing true-life story premiered April 18 at the sold-out Franklin Theater in the town where the film takes place. WAKM said it was "a thrilling and inspirational story." Williamson Herald called it "harrowing." The Tennessean declared it "miraculous." It was an official selection at the Utopian Film Festival in Washington, D.C. U.S. Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn says this story is "especially worthy of remembering. A testament to the great work of the filmmakers." A roller-coaster ride of emotions, showing after showing has been added as they sell out. Independent film theaters are hearing about it and asking to screen it. Complete with a beautiful symphonic score also produced by Stafford, "One of the Miracles" is the deeply moving personal story of Inge Meyring Smith, an historic Holocaust survivor and American Civil Rights early-education pioneer who became the light of learning for thousands of children in the American South. She survived yellow benches, the Nazis who killed her family, American prejudice, the Ku Klux Klan, and the march for racial equality. During the German Holocaust, Inge's Jewish family barely escaped with their lives. Having only $15 in the family's pocket when they arrived in the U.S., Inge's family swore to survive. She moved to Tennessee. She had barely lived through yellow benches in Germany and what she saw in the South was segregated water fountains. "It was ignorance more than prejudice," she said, but she had seen from the extermination of her own family where prejudice and ignorance unchecked could lead. Hand-picked by the Kennedy/Johnson administration to help develop a new national preschool education program called Head Start, Smith – a woman and a Jew – went South to Mississippi at peril again to her own life. Through her international efforts via independent school associations, out of her passion to reach children in unreachable parts of the U.S. as well as at her own backdoor, untold thousands of children have been inspired to learn through her efforts and those she has influenced over the past 70 years. She's been called an American inspiration. She points to her children and great-grandchildren living safely and prospering and says, "That's the American dream." What's going to happen next with the film? Stafford doesn't know. "We've been humbled at the response. To us, it was clearly a life-changing story that needed to be told and recorded, but we never could have anticipated the response. As a result, we've had interest from several television distributors, other theaters, but no final decision has yet been made." Like Inge, this film may have a life of its own. For more on this project please go to http://www.oneofthemiracles.com.Encore presentation of "One of the Miracles: The Inge Meyring Smith Story" on April 27, 2013 at the Franklin Theatre
"One of the Miracles: The Inge Meyring Smith Story" will have an encore presentation on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at 7:00 PM to coinside with the Franklin Main Street Festival. If you missed out on the premiere, now is your chance to see Inge's story and how one woman has touched the lives of thousands.
If you would like to purchase tickets for "One of the Miracles: The Inge Meyring Smith Story" they are available from the historic Franklin Theatre located in downtown Franklin.
One of the Miracles: The Inge Meyring Smith Story" April 18, 2013 premiere is SOLD OUT!
New Feature Documentary To Premiere At the historic Franklin Theatre on April 18, 2013
"One of the Miracles: The Inge Meyring Smith Story", a new feature-length documentary by Clay Stafford, is complete. An Official Selection at the Utopia Film Festival in Greenbelt, Maryland, the film received rave reviews and an enthusiastic audience welcome. The story is simple and straightforward and told through a series of studio interviews with Smith and those who personally knew (or know) her: A young German Jew is nearly killed by the forces of Adolf Hitler. She escapes (with the help of Americans) with her mother and father from Dresden, Germany to the United States. Her extended family left behind in Germany is annihilated. She finishes school in the U.S., works on Wall Street, but finds her real love is education. She moves south with her husband, an American soldier she met during the War. In the midst of the Civil Rights movement, the voice against the prejudice she endured in Germany is ignited. She is chosen to help develop Presidents Kennedy and Johnson’s Head Start program in the Appalachians and Deep South and goes on to become a respected international voice for early childhood education and independent institutions of learning. For more on this project please go to http://www.oneofthemiracles.com.
If you would like to purchase tickets for "One of the Miracles: The Inge Meyring Smith Story" they are available from the historic Franklin Theatre located in downtown Franklin.
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Country Pop Album
New Country / Pop Album Complete from Jeffery Deaver and Clay Stafford
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Jeffery Deaver photo courtesy of Isabelle Boccon-Gibod. Clay Stafford photo courtesy of Zach Simms. |
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American Blackguard is delighted to announce a country/pop music collaboration between bestselling literary authors Jeffery Deaver and Clay Stafford based upon Deaver’s book, "XO". The story centers around a young country/pop star who encounters a stalker along the way. For a FREE download of "Your Shadow" fill out the form below. Check out the 
Deaver, Stafford, and AB’s  |
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The Inge Meyring Smith Story
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Killer Nashville 2013
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A Writing Contest
Awards are offered which can be used in publicity or to find a publisher. Over $1,500 in prizes will be offered, including a legitimate, advance-paying publishing contract from this year’s selected publisher, Five Star Books. Take a chance on your career and give it a try. |
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“The Inge Meyring Smith Story,” a new feature-length documentary by Clay Stafford, is complete. Tested at the Utopia Film Festival in Greenbelt, Maryland, the film received rave reviews and an enthusiastic audience welcome. It’s the simple recounting of one woman’s story and her desire to make a difference. From German Holocaust survivor to American Civil Rights early-education pioneer, the life that Hitler sought to destroy became the light of learning for thousands of children.
In 2006, AB’s Clay Stafford founded Killer Nashville. Sponsored by Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, National Writers Union, Barnes & Noble, Mysteries & More, and others, the conference has grown to international stature attracting nearly 500 attendees from around the world each year to Nashville, TN. From bestselling authors, agents, and editors to die-hard fans of the thriller and mystery genres to amateur sleuths in our realistic mock crime scenes, Killer Nashville has something for everyone. Join us for 2013.
In 2009, Killer Nashville began sponsoring the Claymore Award. Since then, from this writing contest alone, numerous authors have found publication and credit Killer Nashville and the Claymore with jumpstarting their careers. Only unpublished manuscripts are accepted.
