Lisa-Behrens Smith

202513𝒕𝒉 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓'𝒔 𝑫𝒊𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝑬-𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑨𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 ("exemplary" Judge's Review)

2025 BookFest Silver Award (Fiction-Novella; Fiction-YA-Literary and Coming of Age)

2025 Eyelands Book Awards Shortlist

2025 Leapfrog Press Global Fiction Longlist

2024 Fiction Award--Writers of Kern

2002 Beginning Writer Award, Santa Barbara Writers Conference

2001 Women's Fiction Award, Santa Barbara Writers Conference

2000 & 2001 Edith Pillsbury / Santa Barbara Foundation Writers Scholarship Recipient

As an award-winning author, I have spent nearly two decades igniting young minds as a Texas, California, and international English and Social Studies teacher. From AP Literature in Morocco to middle school classrooms in Bakersfield, I have built a career inspiring students to think deeply, question boldly, and discover the power of stories.

But when the bell rings, I'm anything but ordinary. A true Southern soul, I grew up with grit and determination. I've never lost my appetite for adventure, my stinging sense of justice, or my sharp Southern sense of humor. I can drive a John Deere tractor, can my own vegetables, and have been been known to tear down a back road on a four-wheeler. (At night. In the mud.) For my 64th birthday, I accepted a challenge to myself and zip-lined over the lush hills of Wales.

In March of 2025, as a dare to myself, I finally released Mulberry Seeds —a raw, lyrical novella about two sisters surviving hunger and homelessness in 1968 Texas—after keeping it tucked away in a box for over 20 years.

I currently share my life with my husband of 47 years, our sweet house cat Midget, and my favorite ferals, Wiener and Un Ojo. Whether I'm teaching, writing, or trying the unexpected, I live and prove that relevance, resilience, and reinvention know no age. My life—and my work—speak to readers of all ages.