Dr. Ayshia Mackie-Stephenson is an actor, scholar, activist, (intimacy) director, dancer, poet and award-winning writer from Brooklyn, NY. With an MFA from CalArts and a PhD from UMass Amherst, she uses theatre and performance to investigate pleasure, sexuality, and human rights. Her critical and creative work appears in Routledge, Black Camera, Qualitative Inquiry, Boston University Press, International Review of Qualitative Research, Theatre Topics, Howlround and Research in Drama Education. Dr. Mackie has directed or intimacy directed productions at The Huntington, Fresh Ink Theatre, Jewel Box Theatre in NYC, Arts at the Armory (Somerville), The Rockwell, and the DC Black Theatre & Arts Festival. She is an Assistant Professor of Performance Studies and Women’s Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana. Dr. Mackie also hosts a Youtube channel on comedy and dance (Dr. AyshiaTV) and is the Founder/CEO of AfroGoddess Theatre & TV.