Table Read – @BRIC
Reel Sisters + BRIC Present An Evening of Staged Script Readings 2026
On Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm, Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series and BRIC Media Education will present an exciting staged reading of scripts by filmmakers from our Scriptwriting Essentials: The Art of Writing Strong Female Character Series™. Join us for an intimate conversation with the writers on their work-in-progress. Featured writers are Michele Avery, Kmur Hardeman, Shaunya Hartley and Thiviya Saraswati. Sandrine Dupiton, the Reel Sisters Table Read Coordinator, will host the evening.
Enjoy an evening of great stories and networking! Refreshments will be available for purchase. Details will be announced closer to the date.
The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited. Please RSVP in advance and arrive early. A ticket does not guarantee entry.
Featured Writers
Michele Avery is a creative producer, writer, and director whose work centers on storytelling, cultural memory, and the experiences that shape how we see ourselves and one another. She is co-director of ReRooted Productions, a cultural arts organization creating work across live performance, film, and community-based experiences. Her projects include the stage production Crown of Times, the immersive Museum of Science experience What’s Hair Got to Do With It?, and the award-winning short documentary The Free Black Women’s Library. Michele’s background also includes producing and writing for Food Network, Cooking Channel, and OWN. Across mediums, she is drawn to stories that invite curiosity, connection, reflection, and imagination. IG: @bklynpearl.
KMUR HARDEMAN is a native New Yorker…more or less. Her family moved from New Jersey to Queens when she was a year old, and she’s lived in New York City’s boroughs ever since. At this point, she considers herself qualified.
When she is not writing on the subway, she’s usually feeding her photography habit. She has also been known to model, and is a Certified Reiki Master and Certified Feng Shui Consultant. Her job, having recently “eliminated” her position, has afforded her the time to figure out what the rest of her life might look like… So stay tuned. 🙂
IG: Kmur333
Shanya Hartley was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She studied at both City College and the Fashion Institute of Technology, earning a degree in fine arts. Her career has spanned entertainment, fashion, social media and she currently serves as a Manager of Branding and Marketing for a leading finance company. Beyond her professional work, she is a dedicated community advocate, engaging with her local community board as well as her council member and assembly member on issues affecting her neighborhood. This screenplay marks her debut as a screenwriter. IG Handle: @ShopEatandSleep
Thiviya Saraswati (she/her) is a queer Eelam Tamil comedian, lawyer, and story-teller from Queens, NY. She has produced her own comedy show series, previously “Sanniyans” and most recently “Tamil Komedy Poti.” She received her JD from CUNY School of Law, in addition to a masters in international political economy and development from Fordham University. She is a BRIC-certified community producer, and currently working on a number of creative projects, including a sitcom about queer people of color in New York City, and a movie about queer Tamil revolutionaries. IG: oviya_NYC
African Voices Communications, Inc. is a nonprofit arts organization devoted to presenting art, literature, and films by artists of color. African Voices publishes a literary magazine and presents literary readings, art exhibitions, and artistic workshops throughout NYC. Visit: www.africanvoices.com.
The organization sponsors Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series, the first Oscar-qualifying film festival in the nation devoted to women of color. Visit: www.reelsisters.org.