Lisa Braxton is an essayist, short story writer, and novelist. She is the author of the debut novel, The Talking Drum. She is also a “debutante,” one of five debut novelists chosen for the Debutante Ball, a group blog for authors making their debut in the literary world. The debutantes blog each week as they make their “big dance” to publication. She is a fellow of Kimbilio, a fellowship for fiction writers of the African diaspora and a book reviewer for 2040 Review. Her stories and essays have appeared in Vermont Literary Review, Black Lives Have Always Mattered, Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Book of Hope. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Media from Hampton University, her Master of Science degree in Journalism from Northwestern University and her Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a former newspaper and television journalist.