Born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, I moved through six different states before I turned fifteen, chronicling my rich life through creative writing.

I started shining as a literary star early on, writing poems for my family, friends, and even my high school newspaper and creative writing journal. At nineteen, I hit the spoken word scene in Jacksonville, Florida. My performances were raw and powerful, yet also poised and graceful. I fashioned my stage presence from experiences that forced me to cross lines of culture, race, and class. With over 20 years spent honing my craft, I've developed a knack for weaving stories from my life’s journey into a literary tapestry that any audience can relate to.

I am currently enrolled at Queens University of Charlotte in the Creative Writing MFA program. I received my AA degree in Mass Communications and Photography from the University of North Florida and my BA in English Creative Writing from the University of South Florida. Throughout my career, I've accumulated countless awards and accolades. My talent as a performance artist has allowed me to tour the U.S., Europe, and the Caribbean, performing and teaching poetry.

From 2005 to 2010, I hosted, produced, and engineered a weekly poetry radio show titled "Poetry Is," broadcast on WMNF 88.5 FM in Tampa, FL, and on the web at WMNF.org. After a few weeks on the air, my notoriety skyrocketed. I was named WMNF's Programmer of the Year in 2007 by my colleagues, and I had the opportunity to interview artists such as Common, The Last Poets, Anthony David, Chrisette Michele, and Dwele.

I'm widely applauded for my work in correctional institutions throughout central, north, and south Florida, bringing poetry inside the walls of the state and federal prison systems. This initiative stemmed from the large following my radio show had among incarcerated listeners. My poetry outreach involved local poets and musicians who volunteered to perform inside correctional institutions, work release centers, and juvenile centers, affectionately referring to themselves as “Lizz Straight Ministries.”

The prison tour began after I received a heartfelt invitation from an inmate at Hardee Correctional Institution. I decided to pause my personal poetry touring to see how many prisons I could visit in one month, starting with Black History Month. The tour's popularity led to it expanding to three months each year: February (Black History Month), March (Women’s History Month), and April (National Poetry Month). The tour reached over 20 institutions across Florida.

In 2010, I joined StoryCorps as a Mobile Facilitator, traveling the country as part of a national oral history project. This role allowed me to help capture and preserve the stories of everyday people, ensuring their voices were heard. Five of the stories I facilitated were featured on NPR’s Morning Edition.

After celebrating the birth of my daughter Alora in 2011, I retired from the life of a full-time artist and audio producer. I began teaching middle school language arts and creative writing, as well as mindfulness and meditation, in Palm Beach County, FL. Currently, I am in the process of getting out of my own way to make my dreams come true.