Blake Hill-Saya

Author bio

Blake Hill-Saya began her love affair with books at age four when her Father found her reading a favorite bedtime story out loud and... upside down. Her love of history, research, music, world cultures and storytelling led her to a nearly twenty year career as a professional operatic soprano, Hill-Saya recently founded Tenacity Communications to amplify her work as a lifelong wordsmith. She now writes for and consults with an international clientele of executives and thought leaders on storytelling, verbal branding, corporate voice, mission and keynote development. Hill-Saya made her debut as published author in 2020 with The University of North Carolina Press and a historical biography of her own great great grandfather entitled: Aaron McDuffie Moore: An African American Physician, Educator and Founder of Durham’s Black Wall Street. The biography has been critically acclaimed and was chosen as an official candidate for the Museum of African American History Stone Awards for 2021. Her work appeared twice in the Historic Merrick Washington Magazine in 2020/2021 and she was featured as the cover article for RAL Magazine from Duke University in Summer 2021. Hill-Saya was commissioned by LA Opera Connects to write and deliver a poem for their Black History Month 2021 celebration which she entitled “Lifting Voices”. She is also developing several manuscripts, fiction and non fiction, all grounded in Black life during the reconstruction era. She is a proud descendent of Waccamaw Siouan ancestors who have been rooted in Columbus County, NC since the 16th Century. Hill-Saya holds degrees from Oberlin College (BM), and the University of Southern California (MM) and currently resides in Los Angeles with her beloved Husband and their extremely lazy dog daughter.