Lisette Austin is an emerging poet and creative non-fiction writer. As a Black biracial adoptee, Lisette’s writing explores identity reclamation and the afterlife of relinquishment and adoption. She also explores Black history through the context of genealogy and unearthed family stories.
Lisette’s poetry has appeared in Raven Chronicles and Lonesome, and an essay was featured in Go Girl 2, The Black Woman’s Book of Travel and Adventure. She was awarded a 2025 Tahoma Literary Review fellowship to attend Mineral Arts & Residencies.
Lisette has an MA in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona and a nonfiction writing certificate from the University of Washington. She worked for over a decade as a freelance writer, and even longer as an academic researcher on collaborative projects with Pacific Northwest tribal communities. She also served as a volunteer poetry mentor with Pongo Poetry Project, working with incarcerated youth and formerly homeless adults.
Since 2023, Lisette has studied writing at Hugo House, Brooklyn Poets and StoryStudio Chicago, and has participated in writing retreats and conferences in Spain, Morocco, Italy and Mexico. She currently studies poetic craft in Litfield, a writing community led by award-winning poet Danusha Laméris. She is also a member of The Sanctuary, a community of BIPOC women writers.
Lisette is based in the Seattle area, and spends winter months in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. She currently works part-time as a communications manager for the University of Washington, and frequently travels to ancestral homelands for genealogy research.