Johnisha
Matthews Levi

is the author of the memoir Number’s Up: Cracking the Code of an American Family (June 2025).

Born and raised in Washington, DC, Johnisha (she/her) brings a critical eye to her writing based on her experiences as a development professional for social impact nonprofits, a former litigation attorney, and a culinarian.

She was a 2013 LongHouse Food Media Scholar and a recipe tester for Leite’s Culinaria and Peter Reinhart's The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking (2012).

Johnisha graduated from Harvard College, New York University School of Law, and Johnson & Wales University. Her writing has appeared in Yes! Media, Wildsam, the kitchn, and Northern Virginia Magazine. 

In her free time, she is an avid reader of literary nonfiction, African American history, and contemporary literature by authors of color. Memoirs such as Danzy Senna's Where Did You Sleep Last Night?, Natasha Trethewey's Memorial Drive, and Jesmyn Ward's Men We Reaped inspired her to tell her family's story.  She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, Jon.