GUSSIE ROC

Writer

Gussie Roc writes character-driven stories exploring how interpersonal relationships reflect and inform the changing sociopolitical landscape. With a background in poetry, playwriting, acting at William Esper Studio, and undergraduate studies in American History & Literature at Harvard, Gussie makes innovative connections about the modern zeitgeist across fields. In 2017, she won the Dorothy Hicks Lee prize for her undergraduate thesis examining how Beyoncé’s Lemonade, 1920s blues singers, and grieving Black mothers protest racial injustice through personal heartbreak. She also wrote and delivered the Senior English Address at the 366th Harvard Commencement about the power of reframing narratives featured on CBS News' Face the Nation. Her work includes writing on the CW’s NAOMI executive produced by Emmy award-winning filmmaker Ava Duvernay.

Gussie also collaborates with organizations supporting transformational change in the film industry and beyond, including producing a benefit concert on behalf of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project featured on NOWNESS.