The Black Lesbian Writers’ Room is an inclusive intergenerational pilot apprenticeship program for Black women, aged 17 to 63, selected through a nomination and application process. Our mission is two-fold: to create media that centers and explores the lives of queer Black lesbians and to develop a talented team of black women writers based in Chicago. The pre-professional program is focused on training women from the community to write for television. Participants had an opportunity to work as assistants in a simulated writers’ room for American Pride, a Black lesbian series created by Yvonne Welbon, which is currently in development.
Master Class Instructors
The October 26, 2018 program launch included a 3-day writing for television intensive workshop. It was anchored by Shonda Rhimes’ MasterClass and included virtual sessions with Los Angeles based writers Tina Mabry (Proven Innocent, Queen of the South, QueenSugar) and Shukree Tilghman (This Is Us, Satisfaction, The Vampire Diaries). Open Television’s Aymar Jean Christian joined the program in Chicago and provided an opportunity for the writers in the room to pitch their series ideas and receive feedback.