Michele Amas (1961–2016) was a poet and actor. Born in Dunedin, she moved to Wellington in 1982 and worked as an actor and director. She completed an MA in Creative Writing at Victoria University of Wellington in 2005, winning the Adam Prize. Her first poetry collection, After the Dance (VUP, 2006), was shortlisted for the NZSA Jessie Mackay Award at the 2007 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.