Briana Lawrence
Biography
Briana Lawrence is a writer, author, editor, and pop-culture journalist whose work spans anime, manga, video games, cosplay, fandom, and representation. She graduated from Iowa State University in 2006 and moved to Minnesota, where she built a career writing about popular culture while developing fiction and nonfiction projects. She currently works as Senior EN Features Editor at Crunchyroll, where her editorial work covers anime, manga, and related fandom culture.
Lawrence is the creator of magnifiqueNOIR, a self-published magical-girl series centered on Black queer magical girls. The first book, I Am Magical, was released in 2017. Her nonfiction work includes The Essential Manga Guide: 50 Series Every Manga Fan Should Know (2024), while her middle-grade fiction includes In Search of Superpowers: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure (2024) and In Search of the Pinmaker: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure (2025). Publisher records identify Lawrence as the author of both Fantasy Pin World books.
Lawrence continues to work across publishing, journalism, and fandom culture. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, and maintains a creative practice connected to anime, manga, gaming, cosplay, and speculative fiction. Through both original fiction and pop-culture journalism, she has developed a body of work focused on representation and stories involving communities that have historically been underrepresented in mainstream media.
BQW Impact
Lawrence's significance to BQW comes from the direct connection between her identity and creative work. Her magnifiqueNOIR series centers Black queer magical girls, creating stories in which Black girls and queer characters occupy the role of heroes within a genre where they have historically been underrepresented. Lawrence has described the series as a reflection of her identity and as an effort to create the kinds of characters she wanted to see.
Her broader writing extends that interest in representation into anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and fandom culture. Through original fiction and pop-culture journalism, Lawrence contributes to greater visibility for Black and queer audiences within spaces that have not always centered them.
Notable Works
I Am Magical: magnifiqueNOIR Book One (2017)
The first book in Lawrence's magnifiqueNOIR series, centered on Black queer magical girls. Lawrence wrote the book and developed the series as an identity-centered creative project.
The Essential Manga Guide: 50 Series Every Manga Fan Should Know (2024)
A nonfiction guide to 50 influential manga series and standalone works, written by Lawrence.
In Search of Superpowers: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure (2024)
The first Fantasy Pin World middle-grade novel, written by Lawrence and illustrated by Joanna Cacao.
In Search of the Pinmaker: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure (2025)
The second Fantasy Pin World novel, written by Lawrence and illustrated by Joanna Cacao.
Learn More
Official website featuring Lawrence's writing, books, professional work, and current projects.
Current professional author profile and editorial work.
Official publisher information for Lawrence's 2024 nonfiction book.
Publisher information for Lawrence's middle-grade fiction.
Author interview discussing the origins and identity-centered purpose of the series.