LeChell Rush
The short version: An introverted sh*t talking, spitfire, writer, visual artist, and social justice advocate.
If we’re being politically correct: LeChell S. Rush (She/They), also known as The Shootah, is a Black Queer engineer turned paralegal, who moonlights as a writer, visual artists and social justice advocate from Brooklyn, NY, by way of Houston, TX. Through media such as poetry, photography, film, and collage, LeChell’s work centers on Black girls, women, and queer femmes, with themes of reproductive justice, queer liberation, grief, and religion. LeChell’s choice of blended, mixed, and multimedia art forms is an homage to Black womanhood & queerness as a form of cultural creation, rooted in doing what you can with what you have, where you are. She aims to serve as a witness and archive, using a multi-sensory language to reimagine, retell, and document the lives of her community. LeChell honors Carrie Mae Weems, Gordon Parks, Toni Morrison, and black women from the hood as influences for her work.
As a poet, LeChell is a 4x Womxn of the World Poetry Slam Finalist, Stonewall International Poetry Slam Finalist, 2x Right 2 Write Poetry Slam Champion, and Watering Hole Fellow. In 2023, LeChell founded the SMOKE Slam Poetry Collective, an ensemble of nationally ranked poets coached by the legendary Ebony Stewart, centered on poetry as a transformative force. Since its inception, the collective has won two regional poetry slams, taking the 2024 Southern Fried Poetry Slam and the 2025 Big Foot Poetry Slam Championships.
LeChell is the author of the full-length poetry collection Cause Therapy Ain’t For Black Folks published by Qwest Press, and the micro-chapbook Flat Feet, Diabetes, and A Pretty Smile. In 2019, she produced the multimedia project Jaywalking, comprising a full-length poetry collection, a short film, photography, and collage, which was showcased in an exhibition at the Proletariat in Galveston, Texas. LeChell’s artistry has also served on stages for social justice advocacy, including the Hershey Foundation Reproductive Justice Reception and the United Nations Houston Chapter World Refugee Day, reflecting her commitment to the arts as a form of activism for self and community. LeChell has been published in Defunkt Magazine and graced stages throughout the nation. Her performances can be found on Charm City Slam, Button Poetry, and more. You can follow LeChell on all platforms @bylechell.