In this episode of Moment 2 Moment, the acclaimed of writer of Moonstruck and Joe vs the Volcano reflects on the ups & downs of life as a writer. From giving up a scholarship instead spend a formative decade as a bartender, to directing acting powerhouses Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Viola Davis, and Amy Adams, to four Academy Award nominations for 2008’s highly acclaimed Doubt.

Known for his uncanny ability to be able to transpose his experiences from his real life into poetic images in our hearts & minds, in this episode of Moment 2 Moment Shanley reflects on the images that most influenced him from Catholic school in the Bronx early on, to the school of Hard Knocks on New York City’s tough streets later on. Which as fate would have it, would be where Shanley found inspiration for the highly stylized dialogue in Moonstruck that would earn him the 1988 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.