Michele Stanback aka storäe michele (they/them) is a black queer, shape-shifting, non-binary femme, afro-futurist performer + storyteller. their creative practice builds a present + embodied archive of black femme futures + aliveness. storäe centers these subversive narratives as methods for divesting from flat images and caricatures, evoking rituals of self-love, cultivating accountability within community, and learning from black queer feminists who envision worlds beyond white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. their first film, [the listening heart], was officially selected for film festivals internationally + domestically. storäe is a Lambda Literary Fellow (Playwriting Cohort, 2021) and their choreopoem, mama [rose], was nominated for the 2022 LGBTQ Drama Lammy Award. their upcoming performance piece [claustrophobia], is supported by a grant from Columbia University’s Center on African American Religion, Sexual Politics & Social Justice.
