2024 LORING AWARDS NOMINEES

anni xo (they/them) is a young queer musician hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota who found solace in music as a means to explore their identity and embrace the complexities of life. Inspired by the likes of boygenius, Taylor Swift, and Renee Rapp, anni's music is a refreshing blend of alternative songwriting and folk stylings that expertly convey themes of love, loss, and the struggles of youth in a post-modern landscape.

Better Homes & Dykes is a local, quarterly, print-only publication by and for dykes and those who love them. Each issue features a variety of content from various Minneapolis/ St. Paul collaborators including quizzes & games, media reviews, handy-butch wisdom, write in laundry advice, sports content, reader photo submissions and more!  Founders S. (they/them) & Elli (she/her) are two local dykes who are passionate about building community and print media. Elli works in anti-violence, and lives in the metro with her two dogs. She enjoys reading, cooking, and crafting. S. is a visual artist and art consultant living in Uptown, and enjoys playing outside, textile art, and a good beer. Follow us on socials or subscribe to our email list to keep up with what's happening with the publication! 

Boo McCaleb, also known as Booscapes, is a Projection artist, VJ, Filmmaker and Public Art Consultant, from Minneapolis, MN. Leading with intuitive spiritual practice in his work he searches for the synastry of love, kindness and connection, co created in sensory experiences. Booscapes’ work orbits the fringes of creative technology facilitating pathways of engagement for holistic wellness, healing, and community. His work embraces light, color, and movement applying nature’s patterns as the syntax for play and expression.

The sweet treat of MN, Buttercream has been performing in drag for 6 years! Her influences include Broadway, classic jazz, and Christian disco music. 

Daphne Jane is a local queer indie pop artist originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Known for her story-telling lyrics and dreamy pop sound, Daphne has been writing music in her bedroom and playing gigs in her small town since she was 12 years old. 

Daphne Jane has added a full band to the mix, playing at local twin cities music venues. In 2021, she released her album “I Wish I Was in the Clouds” followed by her EP “Dreamland” later that same year. 

In the summer of 2022, Daphne Jane released two singles “Green” and “February.”

More recently, she released lead single “Months” with local musician and bandmate Nate Walker to begin sharing her new project.

Following the release, she has kept successful singles flowing with “sleepyhead” getting featured on Spotifys “Fresh Finds” editorial playlist,

Daphne Jane shares her music through dreamy, poetic diary entry-like songs, that embody the unique & full power of music connection.

Empress Onyxx is passionate about education, anti-racism and social justice work.  She started creating content for social media three years ago discussing Black women's experiences in the United States and kept coming across bits of history that she never learned in school.  She pivoted and now teaches the history that we never learned in school, specifically Black, queer and feminine history.  When not discussing history, her following is talking politics and current events, regardless of your race, your background, or your gender. Express Onyxx is a big believer that if you know your past you have a better understanding of how we got here and where we are going,

Empress Onyxx has one daughter, a son-in-law, three grandsons who own her heart. She is writing a book on the history of Black women in the United States.  Her favorite thing in the world is Disney Villains and she thinks Maleficent and Ursula were just misunderstood.

Hunky Dory started performing at 5 years old and hasn't stopped since. As an energetic addition to the stage, you can see Hunky performing all over the cities including Saloon, Black Hart, Lush Lounge and Theatre, as well as different venues with Drag me with a spoon and more!

Kate Malanaphy is a singer-songwriter currently based in Minneapolis MN. Kate strives to create music that resonates deeply and widely. Their songs come to be from a need to either expel or seek to understand a particular feeling. This purpose is clear in Malanaphy’s raw and dynamic live performances, currently featuring a full band lineup.

The fate of the environment has become inextricable from the fate of humanity. We live in the geological age of the Anthropocene: the age of humans. Lyd's work is a reflection on how the culture of capitalism infringes upon the delicate and complex balance of nature.

Whether adaptively symbiotic or inherently toxic, encountering human objects in natural spaces elicits an awareness of our place on earth, evoking feelings of grief, fearfulness, and guilt. These experiences have prompted Lydia to research the terms interconnection and ecocentrism, guiding me to create work that draws me closer to the environment. I explore these concepts through ceramics, painting, textiles, and the manipulation of organic and mass-produced materials. 

Oblivia, otherwise known as the Minneapolis Queen of Heavy Metal, enjoys alternative glam and heavy guitar riffs. 

Suture Fancy has been doing drag in the Twin Cities for almost two years. Outside of drag, he works full time as an EMT. Suture can be found performing in venues such as Lush, the Saloon, the Gay 90s, and with Flip Phone Events. He most recently won 1st alternate at the Mx. Bloodbath Ball and he plans to bring more of his high energy performances to a venue near you!! 

Tarias and the Sound is the musical brainchild of Minnesota’s own Anthony Omodt-Lopez. Utilizing his roots in the blues and musical theatre, as well as a Gen. Z perspective on the world, his music creates a unique and resonant experience for the listener. 

Wariboko Semenitari is a Nigerian non-binary actor who moved to Minneapolis at 17. They burst out on to the twin cities theater at 19 in How It’s Gon Be by Jucoby Johnson produced by Underdog Theater Company at Mixed Blood Theater. They recently won the 2023 Broadway World Minneapolis/St Paul Regional Award for Best Supporting Performer in a Musical.

Their work has been seen on many stages namely: Godspell, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (artistry), Little Prince (Guthrie Theater), Twelve Angry Men (Theater Latté Da), the list goes on. 

When not acting you can find them voguing as a member of Vogue Down Minneapolis. They would like to thank their mentors, gay family, as well as all the beautiful people they’ve met through ballroom and the greater BIPOC queer Twin Cities nightlife scene.