Finding Your Purpose When There Is No Clear Direction
By: Black Authors Matter
Tags: African Literature, Women In Business, Empowerment Of Women, Authors, College Life

Finding Your Purpose When There Is No Clear Direction

By Lissha Sadler

Author Lisa Renee never gave up, no matter what life threw at her. Born on the south side of Chicago, she understood the struggles young Black women face at an early age. After the traumatic experience of losing both her parents, Lisa found herself learning to adjust to life through her faith at an early age. Now Lisa’s purpose in life is to inspire, uplift, and empower everyone she meets. “African Americans need to start reading more because there is strength in knowledge, and you can only make moved when you have the knowledge needed.”

LS: Let’s talk a little bit about yourself and your book.

LR: I published my first book, A Black Once Told Me To Give Up, in June of 2019. This book talks about my experiences as a Black student attending predominantly White universities, and how I had to adjust and overcome challenges that exceeded personal, academic, and emotional issues. I’m passionate about this topic because I had to find my strength to graduate and then find what my Blackness meant to me.

LS: What does writing mean to you?

LR: Writing for me has always been a space where I can use the voice that I never had, and finding the strength that I thought that I never had. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved writing. I couldn’t wait to be able to do the writing prompts in grammar school, high school, as is always loved, escaping through my writing. So writing has been a very big part of my life, especially seeing that I also love to do music. Back in the day, I used to love to sing. I would always write songs based on a period in my life. I had a flood in my basement where most of my things were, all my music, my lyrics, my thoughts, everything was pretty much in that basement. After that I fell back from writing, I was devasted. Fast forward to 2015 when I graduated from my undergrad studies, I needed to write a book because I had been through so much with my experience with college. It was time to get back to writing.

LS: What was the most defining time for you?

LR: A lot of my defining came from moments when I understood that I was not the only Black student going through these things. I feel like we are the only ones to talk about this. I had to learn if we want to ever exceed or be better, education can be better for us. But we need to speak about our stories and help another sister or brother out. Even if we cannot get it on a systematic level, we can do it within our community.

LS: When you think about the contributions African American women have made to the literary industry, what is the impact one can have as an author?

LR: I want it to be something that people can look back on and say, Yeah, she may have messed up in her life, she may have struggled in her life, she may even have a past in her life. But she always continued to strive for better. That is the impact I want to leave on people. I want them to know they have it. They just have to remove all of the negative thoughts in the process and be clear about how great and dope they are. I want people to find their purpose.

LS: What do you think is needed to make AA publishing better?

LR: More African American publishers, printers, and better distribution. A lot of authors are afraid to share their stores because the is not enough guidance through the process. We need a safe place that will allow us to be creative so we can advance African American Literature. We have so many black authors that write different genres, there is no reason out community should not be reading more African American Authors.

LS: There’s a heavy cost to pursuing and pulling your vision together. Who has been your biggest support system throughout your journey?

LR: I’m going to be honest, in the support area, I feel like I could have a better tribe behind me. There are a few family and friends that have helped me along my journey, they have encouraged and supported me with getting my book out there.

LS: How do you think COVID has affected the literary world?

LR: I would say in the literary world, just not being able to network and connect like you want to. In 2019, I told myself 2020 is going to be the year I’m going to get out there, and boom, Coronavirus comes. Even though that doesn’t stop us because there are ways around this phase with the Internet. However, there is nothing like being in a space with someone face to face. Right now there is a shift even with Coronavirus, and other things going on outside of that, especially all of the shootings in the Black communities. All this trauma and death going on around us.

LS: What is next for Lisa Renee?

LR: I will build my t-shirt and apparel line around my books. I want to incorporate black culture into the lives of more college students outside of HBCUs. So I am creating merchandise that will be all about the culture to make students feel more pride in their community. Those students that go to mainstream colleges sometimes feel like they do not belong because they don’t see enough of their own culture.