(LOS ANGELES, CA — July 14, 2026) — Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and author Phill Branch will appear in conversation with novelist, television writer, and showrunner Rasheed Newson on Thursday, July 16, at 7:00 PM at the American Film Institute Alumni Center, 2021 N. Western Ave., Los Angeles. The evening is presented by Lisane Basquiat, legacy healing strategist and executive producer of the forthcoming Netflix documentary on her brother, legendary artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, which premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival.
The event is presented in conjunction with Village Well Books & Coffee. RSVP is required at villagewell.com.
About the Evening
Branch and Newson will discuss Branch’s memoir, “The Double Dutch Fuss” (Amistad/HarperCollins), a raw, lyrical, and often funny account of a Black boy from Newark navigating family expectation, queerness, creative vocation, and the long work of becoming himself.
Los Angeles is not merely a backdrop in the memoir – it is a turning point: the city where Branch lived and worked for 15 years and where he earned his MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute. This event marks his return to that city, and to that institution, as a published author.
Newson’s novel “There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood” (Flatiron Books) brings an equally resonant perspective to the conversation: an exploration of Blackness, queerness, ambition, and the mythology of the entertainment industry. Set against the backdrop of Hollywood’s glamour and contradictions, the novel creates a natural dialogue with Branch’s memoir and his own journey through film, television, and creative reinvention.
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Together, Branch and Newson will explore what it means to tell stories from inside the industries that shape culture, and how artists navigate visibility, belonging, ambition, and creative freedom. The conversation will explore the intersections of storytelling, identity, and craft across memoir, fiction, and television.
About Phill Branch
Phill Branch is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, memoirist, live performance storyteller, and educator. A graduate of the American Film Institute (Screenwriting, Class of 2001) and Hampton University, he is the founder of Baltimore Story Fest and a GrandSLAM champion for The Moth. He received a regional Emmy Award for his PBS documentary “Hampton University: One of the Wonders of the World.”
”The Double Dutch Fuss” received a starred review from Library Journal, was selected as an Audible Editors’ Pick for June 2026, and has been featured by the Boston Globe, Ebony, ESSENCE, LitHub, and other national media.
About Rasheed Newson
Rasheed Newson is an acclaimed novelist, television writer, executive producer, and showrunner whose credits include “Bel-Air” (Peacock), “The Chi” (Showtime), “Narcos” (Netflix). He is the author of the nationally acclaimed novels “My Government Means to Kill Me,” a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection and Lambda Literary Award finalist, and “There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood” (Flatiron Books), an exploration of queer Black history, race, ambition, and the entertainment industry. The audiobook for “There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood” received a Kirkus Magazine Earphones Award for its exceptional narration by Jelani Alladin. He lives in Los Angeles.
About Lisane Basquiat
Lisane Basquiat is a powerful force in empowering others to find the balance, fulfillment, and strength to create lasting, positive change in their lives via her Shaping Freedom methodology.
A former Fortune 100 corporate executive, Lisane is a Legacy Healing Strategist, Board-Certified Master Practitioner and Teacher of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and a Certified Professional Coach. She has inspired countless individuals to reclaim their lives and rewrite their narratives through her workshops, keynotes, and the Shaping Freedom With Lisane Basquiat podcast. Additionally, Lisane owns the female co-working space Hera Hub Carlsbad, and is the co-administrator of the estate of her late brother, renowned artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Event Details
Date: Thursday, July 16, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Venue: American Film Institute Alumni Center, 2021 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA
RSVP: villagewell.com / https://villagewell.com/events/5792820260716
Bookseller: Village Well Books & Coffee
