Michele Evans is an American author, filmmaker, and software engineer.

The New York Times published an Op-ed penned by Michele Evans about contracting COVID-19 while incarcerated in New York's Rikers Island jail.^[1]

Evans criticized the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo for not making the COVID-19 vaccine available to incarcerated New Yorkers.^[2]

Books

In addition to writing articles, Michele Evans is the author of five books.^[3] Michele's portfolio contains diverse stories, subjects and cultures, including interracial relationships, polygamy, religious persecution, social justice and a children's book.

• Rikers Island: Criminalized Survivor 2023^[4]
• Binghams: Plural Love 2024^[5]
• Painted: Brushstrokes of Destiny! 2024^[6]
• Fluencer: From Social Media to the Silver Screen 2023^[7]
• Adventures in Helping Town: Friends & Fun! 2023^[8]

In Evans' book Binghams: Plural Love, the chapter, Scars of the Past,^[9] delves into the non-fiction history of the persecution of Mormons. She highlights the extermination order in Missouri as well as the killing of Joseph Smith, who has the unfortunate distinction of being the first U.S. Presidential Candidate to be assassinated.

Advocacy

Michele Evans turned to a life of advocacy after her incarceration at Rikers Island. She testified at the New York City Council about conditions at Rikers and advocated for the passing of legislature to ban solitary confinement in New York City.^[10][11]

Michele made a short film about domestic violence called A Walk to the Park after she was one of the first recipients in the greater New York City area to receive a Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act hearing, granted her by Judge Carro of the New York Supreme Court in 2019.^[12]

Professional life

Michele Evans is a software engineer, author, actor, screenwriter, and filmmaker.

Michele Evans moved to New York City in 2006, when she was hired by IMG as a Sr. Software Engineer to build Tiger Woods website.^[13] Evans left IMG for ESPN. Evans later accepted a position at Turner Broadcasting where she engineered the online video player for NCAA March Madness.

Before moving to New York, Evans was a Sports Reporter in the Denver Colorado area.^[14]. Evans got her start in writing in 2001, when she covered the NBA and NFL for the Denver Weekly News, a local African American publication.

Evans studied filmmaking in NYU's film and television certificate program.^[15]

Created in 2018, Evans' first feature-length screenplay, Fogel Grip, tackles the tale of Sven Gunnarsson, a Swedish prisoner sent to New Sweden as an Indentured Servant. Eventually, he gains his freedom and is granted land along the Delaware River shore. When William Penn learns the Swedes land is not included in his charter, Penn launches a campaign to dispossess Gunnarsson's children of the land.^[16][17] Sven Gunnarsson is a progenitor of the Du Pont family. Michele has since written feature-length screenplays and some are the basis of her novels.^[18]

Evans latest film, New York Second, is currently in post-production. Michele trained professionally at the William Esper Studio, Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Acting Studio, and was a student of Terry Knickerbocker ^[15]

Personal life

Evans lives in New York City and is the wife of filmmaker Rainer Evans.^[19]

In 2022, Evans suffered the loss of her 8 year old niece, Macie Hill, in a tragic accident at a 4th of July parade.^[20][21][22] Macie's death, witnessed by hundreds of revelers lined along the street to take part in the festivities, sparked intense community outpouring and support for her family.^[23] A gofundme page for Macie chose to close donations after raising over $100k in a few short days, and instead directed potential donations to another family in need of support.^[24] At Macie's funeral, music star, Donny Osmond was introduced as Macie's "Special Friend". Osmond, speaking to the mourners gathered to honor Macie, said Macie made him feel like a winner.^[25] Donny sang Josh Grobin's song To Where You Are. Macie's death caused the city of Kaysville Utah to change policy and the local Fire Department installed a public memorial for Macie.^[26][27][28] Evans dedicated her first novel, Fluencer, to her niece, Macie Hill.^[7]

In January 2023, Evans filed a defamation lawsuit against her former lover, Shannon Sharpe, in the New York Supreme Court.^[29][30] Evans is quoted as saying, “This lawsuit is not just about seeking justice for the personal wrongs that I have endured. It’s also about standing up to public figures who misuse their platforms to spread misinformation and harm others. No one should suffer in silence while their character and integrity are being publicly maligned.”^{[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45]}

In Ms. Evans' book Binghams: Plural Love,^[5] Michele reveals she is the descendant of many notable historical figures, including:

• Thomas Bingham^[46], who is credited for discovering Copper in Bingham Canyon, which is named after him, and the Bingham Canyon Mine.
• Joseph Knight Sr.^[47]
• Isaac Morley^[48]
• Anthony Demille^[49]
• Jan Snediker^[50]
• David Provost^[51]

Evans provides a glimpse into part of her family tree, meticulously documented in the Mormon Family History Library, the holy grail of genealogists, in order to "quiet whispers of doubt, often accompanied by whispers of ancestry".^[5][52]

Michele's deep roots in New York City are evident in being a part of the Provost family, early French-speaking Huguenots who were members of the first permanent European presence in New Netherland which began in 1624, with the founding of a Dutch fur trading settlement on Governors Island. In addition to her ancestor David Provost, the first Sheriff of Brooklyn, his grandson, and her great-uncle, also given the name David Provost, was Mayor of New York City. Another great-uncle, Samuel Provost was the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. He was also the first Chaplain of the United States Senate.

Michele is cousins with "Father of Hollywood", Cecil B. Demille, whose patrilineal ancestor is also Anthony Demille.^[53]

Ms. Evans' grandfather was successful Colorado businessman William Berry who founded Bill Berry Motors, now a part of Auto Nation and previously known as City Auto Plaza.^[54] Berry was an associate of U.S. President Truman as a Democratic Canyon City Council Member and would often get invited to accompany Truman on his train; to witness his "whistle stop" speeches from the rear platform of the presidential car.

References

External links

• Evans Author Page
• Michele Evans at IMDb