From GILBERT GRAPE to THE HEIGHTS: Peter Hedges on Writing and Directing

Peter Hedges, who grew up in West Des Moines and attended Valley High School, is a novelist, screenwriter, and film director. He wrote both the novel and the screenplay What's Eating Gilbert Grape and is the writer-director of Pieces of April and Dan in Real Life. His screenplay for About a Boy was nominated for an Academy Award well as a BAFTA and a Writers Guild of America Award. His other novels include An Ocean in Iowa and the forthcoming The Heights.