Coffee House Writers’ Chief Editors are those individuals who have joint decision-making over the entire team. They manage all current writers as well as those in all admin positions, including Editors, Poetry Editors, and Advertising and Recruiting Teams. They work 365 days a year to ensure the team runs smoothly and everyone is held accountable and treated with respect.

Lisa Mildon

Chief Executive Officer

Lisa Mildon (along with her husband, Ian) took ownership of Coffee House Writers on January 1, 2022. One of the original editors and writers when CHW opened its doors in 2017, Lisa has always had a passion for mentoring editors and writers and was the natural choice to take up the reins. Exhibiting her mastery of the written word while at university, she graduated with her Bachelor’s in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University Summa Cum Laude in 2018 as well as was a member of two honor societies, The National Society of Leadership and Success and Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society.  Lisa wants to take her knowledge and skills to empower her fellow creatives to a more fulfilling career in the written arts.

Lisa is not only the co-CEO of Coffee House Writers but takes an active part in the recruitment process. She loves mentoring fellow creatives and couldn’t wait to bring new talent on board. She is currently a member of SNHU’s Liberal Arts Advisory Board, where she participates and discusses how to improve the curriculum and overall experience for Liberal Arts students.

Lisa brings several years of managerial experience from the information technology realm. She led the Help Desk team and was a team lead of Desktop Support for a major university. Lisa also brings many years of project management experience and knows how to organize efficiently and develop businesses.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.

Benjamin Franklin

Michelle Naragon

Chief Editor

Michelle Naragon joined Coffee House Writers in September 2019, writing multi-genre fiction under a pseudonym, and was promoted to Chief Editor in July 2022.

Michelle discovered her ideal degree program at Southern New Hampshire University and quickly realized she could fuse her two loves, books and writing, with a degree in literary study and creative storytelling. She earned a dual Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English & Creative Writing, specializing in fiction writing and its subgenres. She also has a background in fine art drawing, painting, and art history from the Academy of Art University.

She’s an avid reader, book collector, and book reviewer. A storyteller at heart, Michelle is drawn to fantastical storylines centered on myth and legend. As a child, she invented lively characters and conjured epic tales that fed her imagination. This creative spark and love of words still fuel her today. She gleans inspiration from her family heritage, to create sublime love stories with strong heroines that are smart, sassy, and a little bad-assy. This love of storytelling has led her to write her debut novel, currently untitled, and written under a pseudonym.

When she’s not editing or writing, you’ll find her running Bookish by Nature, her online platform for author services and book reviews. Michelle also enjoys painting, drawing, gardening, diving into research for every story she writes, drinking copious amounts of coffee, traveling, and wine!

She’s originally from Arizona but currently lives in the South, following a soldier from place to place, because home is where the military sends you. She also has four children, two grandchildren, and one spunky Irish Terrier. 

The first draft of anything is shit.

Ernest Hemingway