No Dream Deferred NOLA Presents: Writer's Lounge Cicada Radio

Nailah is a filmmaker intrigued and inspired by the enduring human spirit, whose films span fiction and nonfiction. Her acclaimed work has been distributed domestically and internationally on the film festival circuit, theatrically and televised.

After a tragic event, two friends find themselves in police custody. A detective interrogates them, testing their honesty, and their friendship. Written by Lance Wise. Directed by J. Mix. It features the talents of Lefty Lucy, Lakeisha Glover & MJ Batley.

Jackie Alexander is an award-winning actor, writer, producer, director, former Artistic Director of The Billie Holiday Theatre in New York, current Producing Artistic Director of The North Carolina Black Repertory Company (NC Black Rep), and Executive Producer of The National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF). Jackie’s debut novel, Our Daily Bread, was published by Turner Publishing. His debut feature film, Joy, on which he served as actor, writer, and director was awarded Best Feature Film by the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. Blackfilm.com sponsored a national tour of the film that included screenings at the Director’s Guild of America in Los Angeles, the Museum of Modern Art in Chicago, the French Embassy in Washington D.C., and the Walter Reade Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York. The film also earned Best Actor and Best Screenplay honors for Jackie on the festival circuit.

A rare talent who grabs you by the heart and says “Recognize” – Poet, author, performer, songwriter, community “Artivist,” voice over artist, speaker and emcee, Bettina “Poet Gold” Wilkerson is pushing the boundaries of poetry and the spoken word. Living with a chronic illness since childhood, Poet Gold, or as she is affectionately known as, “Gold”, brings a soul-searching insight about the human existence, love, dreams, challenges, and triumph.

Toroes D Thomas Jr. is a filmmaker, he uses his life experiences as inspiration for new stories. Toroes received his B.S. in Screenwriting and Animation from Morgan State University, In 2017, Thomas experienced the sudden loss of his father. Using his father’s passing as inspiration, he directed and co-wrote “The Beach”, a short film about an unforgettable experience. “The Beach” won Best Short Film at the 2019 Denton Black film festival and second place at 2019 made in Baltimore short film festival. Today Toroes is a fellow in the Saul Zaentz innovation grant fund and is gearing up to produce his first feature film “Senior."

Brittany N. Williams is an actress, writer, and nerd of many fandoms who calls the pop culture site Black Nerd Problems her Rebel home base. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Howard University (HU, You Know) and an MA in Classical Acting from the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama (Carrie Fisher’s alma mater for 18 months).
Brittany has performed across three continents—including a year spent as a principal vocalist at Hong Kong Disneyland—and her writing has also been featured on Tor.com and in The Indypendent. She’s currently working on her first novel, That Self-Same Metal, a YA historical fantasy set in William Shakespeare’s London.