Avery O. Williams

Lecturer in Screenwriting

English & Creative Writing

Phone: 404-727-4683

Email: avery.o.williams@emory.edu

Additional Contact Information

Additional Websites

Biography

Avery O. Williams graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Morehouse College and earned a Master of Fine Arts from New York University’s film school, Tisch School of the Arts.

He co-wrote the feature film Directing Eddie (Valerie Perrine, Jade Barrymore) voted Best Comedy, 2001 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival. He also wrote and co-produced the film short The Willie Witch Projects (distr. by Trimark Pictures) in the compilation The Bogus Witch Project.

Avery garnered top screenwriting awards and co-producing credit for the award-winning Notes In A Minor Key (Keith David, Harry Lennix) hailed by The New York Times as "...crisp, assured... tightly constructed and well-acted." In addition, he’s penned screenplays for Damon Dash, Nia Long, Master P, Erika Alexander, T.I., Heavy D, Nephew Tommy and more.

In print, Avery's work is included in the book Monologues for Men By Men. For the theater, Avery co-produced Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues directed by Penny Marshall (2005) and Penny Johnson Jerald (2006).

He wrote the books for musicals TLC (A Tribute to Tracy Coley), The Chocolate Factory, Pino and Everything Changes, each directed by Denise Dowse and executive produced by Wendy Raquel Robinson. For the national stage, Avery wrote and produced A Mother's Prayer and What A Woman Will Do For Love starring Raven-Symone, Cherrelle, Ann Nesby, Howard Hewett and Lashun Pace.

Avery also produced Tom Coles' Medal of Honor Rag, starring Heavy D, directed by Delroy Lindo and executive produced by Will Smith.

In 2013, Avery co-wrote, edited and directed Fight For Hope, a short film for the Georgia Lottery Commission and the Bronze Lens Film Festival. That film won 1st Prize.

Presently, Avery continues to write and direct while serving as a Professor of Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies (CTEMS) at Morehouse College.

Publications