Chisa Iwuagwu Lehane
Memoirist & Essayist
I’m writing Please Come Home, a memoir about what happened after my Nigerian father was murdered when I was six and my white mother married his former handyman, moving us to a farm in rural Michigan. I reconstruct what followed through childhood and young-adult journals, family letters between Nigeria and the United States, photographs, newspaper coverage, and trial notes.
My work has appeared in Hobart Pulp, Roots & Words from Iron Oak Editions, and West Trade Review.
Selected Work
Read → Chisa Doesn’t Write
An essay about the years I spent documenting my life before I was ready to call myself a writer. Published in Roots & Words from Iron Oak Editions and West Trade Review
Read → Chrissy Collins: Born Again Virgin
A short memoir about teenage admiration, sexual politics, religious loopholes, and the realization that beauty didn’t necessarily protect girls from humiliation. Published in Hobart Pulp
Watch → I Buried Her While She Was Still Alive
Adapted from my memoir-in-progress: an eight-minute live performance about family, grief, impossible choices, and the moment I realized I had to let go of the mother I’d spent years waiting to protect us. Performed live as part of Hot Summer Nights LA at The Glendale Room.
For writing, speaking, or media inquiries, drop me a note.
Let’s Stay in Touch
