Artist Statement
I tell stories that explore Blackness from all angles, experimenting with both the heightened and the mundane. I tell Black horror, Black comedy, Black coming-of-age; Blackness navigating white spaces, Blackness affirmed through Black spaces. Regardless of the genre or subject matter, regardless of whether the topic itself is inherently “Black,” my stories always feature Black people in the lead. Through this exploration, I not only provide audiences an escape, a laugh, a piece of understanding – I illuminate the ways in which all Blackness is Black excellence, as we've managed to survive and thrive in a world that's made it abundantly clear it would prefer if we didn't.
Praise
“‘Well-Intentioned White People’ is at once a nuanced, compassionate story of individuals struggling to care for one another and a raging, righteous exposure of the wounds that white people inflict upon Black people--even when we're "trying." To my fellow white people: it will make you cringe. It will make you cry. The dialogue sears. The poetry soars. The questions refuse easy answers. This play deserves to be invested in.”
— Play: Well-Intentioned White People | Reviewer: Madeline Wall
“There are many things I enjoy about the writing of Imani Vaughn-Jones, and in 'A Single F*cking Retweet' it's especially the emotional truth and honesty of the dialogue. The characters are incredibly vivid and real, and their connection/past history very clear. The retweet itself opens the world of the play to racism, signaling support vs activism, and even the burdens placed on teachers. And the final lines provide a satisfying ending while also taking my imagination to what happens next.”
— Play: A Single F*cking Retweet | Reviewer: John Mabey
“Imani Vaughn-Jones takes us into the realm of sci-fi and offers a different vision of the relationship of the God we love and the Devil we fear. The play challenges our preconceptions and offers a different viewpoint of what we normally think. ‘Newer Testaments’ is a fascinating play.”
— Play: Newer Testaments | Reviewer: Jack Levine
Completed works
Screenplays
Click “Read More” to read synopses, genre, and comps for each script.
Completed Work
Stage Plays
Click “Read More” for synopses and NPX links.
Completed Work
Imani’s work can be found on the New Play Exchange as well as the Playwrights’ Center
Works in Progress
Full-length stage play: Celebrate (working title)
Logline: A reunion between a mother and her two adult daughters goes south when they find themselves snowed in by a blizzard and forced to confront their years of pent-up resentment.
A family dramedy set during the holidays that confronts both generational trauma and sibling trauma, but ultimately ends in healing. Would appeal to fans of Dot and August: Osage County.