William Harrison Gunn (July 15, 1934 – April 5, 1989) was an American playwright, novelist, actor and film director.

[7] Gunn shared a house in Nyack, New York with Sam Waymon, brother of singer Nina Simone, who also wrote the musical score for Ganja & Hess.

[9] He was also an advocate and friend of filmmaker and writer Kathleen Collins, playing a role in her film Losing Ground.

The program series was organized by Gunn's artistic collaborators and scholars including, Hilton Als, Jake Perlin, Sam Waymon, Nicholas Forster, Awoye Timpo, Chiz Schultz, and Ishmael Reed.

[11] In 2021, Timpo adapted Gunn's play Black Picture Show for film in the form of a staged reading.