Meridian Community College students and community residents will have the chance to talk a film writer Tuesday when guest speaker Stan Bertheaud comes to MCC’s creative writing and drama classes.

The class meets at 1:30 p.m. in the College’s Casteel Room, located in the foyer of the L.O. Todd Library. The public is invited to attend and there is no charge.

Bertheaud is a Southerner, recently returned from 18 years in Southern California. He studied undergraduate architecture at Louisiana State University and earned a master’s degree at North Carolina State University. After working as an architect in Houston and New Orleans, he attended the USC School of Film and Television for three years earning graduate credit in film production and completing a thesis project in screenwriting (eventually made into a feature film).

Since school, Bertheaud has been working as an architect, teaching architecture (at Mississippi State, Tulane, Woodbury University and now Auburn University) and writing for the screen.

He is credited with two theatrically-released screenplays. The first, “Tilt-a-World” (released as “Painted Hero” and co-written with the film’s director), starred Dwight Yoakam in his first leading role. The film was a Gold Award winner at the Houston International Film Festival. More recently, Bertheaud co-wrote with Yoakam the surrealistic western, “South of Heaven, West of Hell.” The script became Yoakam’s directorial debut, starring Yoakam, Vince Vaughn, Bridget Fonda and Billy Bob Thornton. “South of Heaven, West of Hell” premiered at and closed the 2000 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Stan has written more than 15 scripts. He’s particularly attached to one called “Birdmen,” the story of the flying Key brothers from Meridian. (Based on the book “The Flying Key Brothers and their Flight to Remember” by author Steven Owen.)

Bertheaud has gained numerous awards and honors throughout his career as an architect, educator and screenwriter. When not teaching, he lives and works in Oceanside, Calif., with his wife and two sons, Henry and Ray.

Currently on loan to Auburn University as the “Paul Rudolph Visiting Professor of Architecture,” he’s at work on a screenplay about the Battle of New Orleans and a children’s book with his sons, “A Field Guide to Some of the Lesser Known Dinosaurs.”