Jae Nichelle

Jae Nichelle is a poet, performer, editor, and ghostwriter whose work bridges spoken word artistry and literary craft. Nichelle began competing in poetry slams at age 15 and was among the inaugural winners of Youth Speaks' national "Raise Up" competition at 17, which led to a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She later became a member of Slam New Orleans, founded Tulane University's slam poetry team Rhyme Verses Rhythm, placed fourth at the Texas Grand Slam, and took first place at the Women on the Bayou slam.

Nichelle's spoken word piece about anxiety, titled "Friends With Benefits," has garnered millions of views online and led to collaborations with brands such as Pfizer, Yahoo, and Natalist. She has delivered a TEDxEmory talk on using poetry as a tool of reclamation and engages in poem commissions for brands, voice-over work, commercials, workshops, and readings.

Nichelle is the author of the poetry collection "God Themselves" and the chapbook "The Porch (As Sanctuary)." "God Themselves" explores her experiences as a queer Black woman in America. She also released "She Healed," a collection of spoken word poems that includes "Friends With Benefits" and addresses themes such as love, identity, family, mental health, and healing. Her poetry has appeared in "Best New Poets," Washington Square Review, The Offing, Muzzle Magazine, and other publications.

Nichelle was the first recipient of the John Lewis Writing Award in poetry from the Georgia Writers Association and was a finalist for the Poetry Foundation's Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship. In film, her screenplays have been finalists in Slamdance and the Atlanta Screenplay Competition, and she received a grant from Catalyst Film Collective to produce her short film "breaking, broken." Nichelle has completed residencies and workshops through The Watering Hole, Hurston/Wright, and The Carolyn Moore Writer's House.

Nichelle has published articles on language, linguistics, and mental health in AFROPUNK, An Injustice, and Black Youth Project. She has delivered talks on writing, poetry, linguistics, and mental health for academic, corporate, and cultural audiences. Through her work on the page, stage, and screen, Nichelle explores the evolving possibilities of poetry and its reach across diverse communities.