Shellessa, AKA “Sheesh” is an interdisciplinary artist, creative director, educator, and cultural storyteller whose work bridges poetry, photography, and film to honor the emotional landscapes of Black life. A first-generation American of Indo-Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean descent, Sheesh was born in New York and creatively cultivated in South Florida.

As the founder of Ebony Roses, Sheesh creates work that transforms poetry, amplifies the voices of BIPOC communities, and reimagines strength through tenderness. Sheesh is a published poet and has also been on the many stages of South Florida such as Hardrock, Red Rooster Overtown, Artserve, AfroPunk, and Soho Beach House just to name a few. She has been able to work alongside the likes of Omari Hardwick, India Arie, and Aja Monet along with many other artists.

When off the main stage, Sheesh curates creative workshops focused towards various community initiatives. She also teaches creative writing and performance poetry to high school and middle school students through the Jason Taylor Foundation.

In addition to being an artist, Sheesh is the Founder and Executive Creator Director of AYNI Studios. AYNI Studios is a full-service creative studio specializing in cultural storytelling, brand strategy, and multi-platform content production.

In high school, Shellessa was actively involved with the Jason Taylor Foundation’s Omari Hardwick bluapple Poetry programming. She founded McArthur’s bluapple poetry club, Express the Arts, was a member of JTF’s SPEAK!, a collective of poets and artists who served as performers and program student liaisons, was published in our bluapple beginnings book project, participated in Louder Than a Bomb Florida as both a high school and college student, and eventually became a bluapple teaching artist after graduating from college.