Torri R. Oats (Writer) marches to the beat of a different drummer. While so many in the small Michigan town where she was raised were content to settle into a career in the automotive industry after college, she was determined to pursue a career as a playwright and independent filmmaker in New York City. Giving one month's notice to her family, she moved to New York and within a year, she had her first taste of success with her play, Tales of an Addict? at The Independent Studios which she wrote, produced and directed. The second part of her planned trilogy, Tales of a Dealer, which she wrote, directed and produced, was performed at The Producer’s Club the following year. Torri has continued to hone her craft and has written for Madame Noire and The Atlanta Post. Over the years, she has built a body of work of which, she can be proud. If there is a credo which defines her work it is to give voice to the voiceless. She aims to continue to write things that portray positive images of underrepresented groups, have a social impact and challenge authority and conventional wisdom.