Writings
Read It for the Articles
Briana has written for a variety of entertainment websites over the years.
Currently, she’s the Senior EN Features Editor at Crunchyroll.
Upcoming Releases!
In Search of the Pinmaker: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure
Release date: June 24, 2025
Skylar, Angela, Travis, and Sophie all received superpowers from enamel pins. But now they must track down the elusive pinmaker in this epic adventure, the sequel to In Search of Superpowers: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure. But friendships are put to the test in the wake of the mysterious pinmaker's identity. Is this too much for the crew to take on?
Four kids. Four pins. Four superpowers. One dark secret. And it's getting . . . bleaker.
After a mysterious explosion during the night at the local theme park called FUNTASTIC PLAINS, Skylar, Angela, Travis, and Sophie each received an enamel pin that gave them superpowers. At first, the kids thought this was a random coincidence, but thanks to the former toymaker Mister Paul, they learn that’s likely not the case. The theme park FUNTASTIC PLAINS may have a motto of “where fun lives,” but the enamel pin crew thinks it just might be where fun goes to die. They’ll need to work together to find the elusive Pin Maker and discover the secret behind their superpowered pins . . . before there’s way more than just four kids with superpowers.
In Search of the Pinmaker is the second in an all-new adventure series, Fantasy Pin World. It's perfect for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers, The Marvellers, and, of course, enamel pin collectors.
Where to Preorder:
"[W]hat Lawrence has done should be considered a public service for fans of visual literature . . . The Essential Manga Guide lives up to its title by being an essential purchase for manga fans new and old alike!" - The Fandom Post
"This guide is vastly rich with information, history, personal influence and opinion, and enough options to not only kick start but fuel someone’s journey into the world of manga for YEARS to come." - The Outerhaven
“"It is a real joy to see this kind of thoughtful writing about manga published. The Essential Manga Guide is one of the most complete collections of manga analysis in the West—at least in book form. 9/10" - In Between Drafts
“With The Essential Manga, Lawrence proves why manga is a legitimate art form worthy of respect and analysis. Filled with insight, The Essential Manga Guide lives up to its name and will be a welcome addition to any manga fan's library.” - ScreenRant
"The Essential Manga Guide: 50 Series Every Manga Fan Should Know is still as an extensive and complete release that both novice and seasoned manga fans will find helpful. With its diversity of choices and attention to detail, the book will appeal to anyone interested in learning more about manga and why it matters." - CBR
Check out this write up about the manga guide for Publisher’s Weekly!
The Essential Manga Guide: 50 Series Every Manga Fan Should Know
Available Now!
Dive into the world of manga and discover 50 of the most influential and essential series and standalone titles—from Boys Run the Riot to Chainsaw Man to Sailor Moon—with this must-have guide for manga fans by Crunchyroll senior editor Briana Lawrence. With profiles on 50 unforgettable series and ground-breaking single volume stories written by an expert in the anime and manga field, The Essential Manga Guide provides a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look into the history and growing legacy of manga. Both casual fans and serious otaku alike will discover an entertaining and personal look at the impact of these outstanding manga titles and their authors, as well as great recommendations of what to read next.
From classic series to contemporary favorites, this guide includes:
Berserk, Bleach, Fruits Basket, Haikyu!!, Inuyasha, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kuroko's Basketball, My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness, Naruto, One Piece, Paradise Kiss, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Sailor Moon, The Way of the House Husband, Tokyo Babylon, Uzumaki, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku, What Did You Eat Yesterday, Yu Yu Hakusho, and many more!
Where To Buy:
Gamer Girls: Retro Rhythms (coauthor)
Jess, Celia, Nat, and Lucy are the Gamer Girls—four BFFs who game together. In this fourth book of the exciting series, the friends discover a new game at a local arcade, Dance Dance Rhythms. (Okay, maybe it's not that new. In fact, it's a little retro.) But mistakes happen and it's up to Jess to put them right, or else her mom's dreams could be CRUSHED. This is the fourth book in the popular Gamer Girls series by Andrea Towers for fans of The Babysitter's Club AND Pokémon!
Jess never thought she'd be a gamer. The posters in her bedroom are dedicated to Naomi Osaka and Misty Copeland, not video game streamers. But ever since joining the Gamer Girls squad, Jess has learned a TON about video games.
One evening, Jess discovers something wonderful . . . sitting in her parents’ guest room is a brand-new, sealed Dance Dance Rhythms game from the ‘90s! What's more, if she trades it in at the local game store, she can get a NEW game. But trading it might not have been the best idea . . . and Jess might have to risk it all in order to get it back.
Can Jess keep going at her fast pace, or will she need a new rhythm?
In this fourth book of the popular Gamer Girls series, four friends navigate the video game world and the middle school world . . . if only they could solve drama as easily as they defeat monsters! Gamer Girls: Retro Rhythms celebrates history, family, Black Girl Magic, and the 10th anniversary of legalized queer and gay marriage in the United States (Jess has two moms). This series is perfect for readers who love video games. Retro Rhythms includes 30 black-and-white illustrations throughout.
Where To Buy:
In Search of Superpowers: A Fantasy Pin World Adventure
Four kids. Four pins. Four superpowers. One dark secret.
Angela, Sophie, Travis, and Skylar are four normal middle schoolers. Angela and her dad just moved in with her future stepmom, but the wealthy neighborhood is not what's she used to, and relations with the future stepmom are tough. Sophie lives in the shadow of her twin sister, Becca, and wants to find her own identity. Travis is his track team's star, but he's starting to think that video game coding (and his best friend) might be a LOT more interesting. Skylar is trying to help their family make ends meet . . . but sometimes, they're stretched too thin.
After a mysterious explosion in the night, each of the four kids receives a limited-edition fantasy enamel pin. What's more, it gives them superpowers! As the new friends work together to figure out where the pins came from and untangle their own lives, they discover a secret at the nearby theme park that might not be so fun after all.
Where To Buy:
Where To Buy:
“To see an entire team of Black queer women fight monsters with powers related to their everyday lives was empowering. It showed me the importance of Black queer women learning to understand and support each other as friends, romantic partners, and as a chosen family.” - LaTonya Pennington
“magnifiqueNOIR is a delight from start to finish, full of all the lush color and bubblegum happiness we expect from the magical girl genre.” - J.S. Fields
“As an adult, I’ve struggled at reading with the same voracity I had as a child, but this book might’ve been the cure. It’s been a long time since I sat down to read a book cover to cover in one weekend, but I just couldn’t put this one down.” – DukeDeBhavana
magnifiqueNOIR
“The revolution will be magical.”
There’s a city. It’s like most other cities. Buildings. People. Monsters who can destroy sidewalks by vomiting acid onto the ground, and an elite group of black, queer, magical girls who work to put those monsters in their place.
See? Just like most other cities.
Bree Danvers would’ve compared it to a video game, maybe a cartoon or comic book, except black girls are rarely the heroines of the story. But there her heroine stood, plus sized and wonderful, rocking a dazzling amount of purple and defeating monsters with galactic sparkles. Galactic Purple, that was her name, and soon, Bree was joining her on a magical adventure full of transformations and after school battles to defend a city like most other cities.
And soon, others would join them, and each one would be magical in their own way… give or take a few bumps on the acid covered ground.
magnifiqueNOIR is an illustrated novel series where Briana collaborated with several artists to tell the story of the next generation of girls to embrace the phrase, “Black Girl Magic.”
“Like Cherries” by Cyleida
Briana Harvey
Briana Harvey
Berry Blitz Studio
Shockolate Energy Cosplay
Emily Canaday
Azar-hime
Sakura Mochi Panda
Shade Nickole Art
Teya Tarver-Smith
Fried Unicorn
Rubydian
The Sequel!
“It’s all fun and games until you question the magic.”
Our favorite magical girl squad is back for their regularly scheduled program.
Kind of.
After the last colossal battle, Marianna, Bree, and Lonnie are trying their best to recover, but the daily monsters don’t give a lick about self-doubt and personal struggles. Fortunately, Prism Pink is there to lend a hand, turning the trio into a courageous group of girls who can take on whatever threat comes their way.
There’s just one problem: they still don’t know who Prism Pink is or where she came from.
In fact, where did any of this come from?
The monsters. The magical powers. What does any of it mean? It’s time to start getting answers, but are the girls ready to hear the truth? Knowledge is power, as they say, but power is fickle and can be corrupted so easily. After all, Blaze never said what happened to the previous generation of magnifiqueNOIR, did she?
Where to buy:
“Adding a darker tone and some mature content, Magnifique Noir Book 2 continues to deliver a wonderful coming-of-age storyline with affectionate, powerful, and fun moments. This book shows Black women that they don’t always have to be strong or perfectly wholesome. No matter what you have to work through or how unwholesome you might seem, you are still magical.” - LaTonya Pennington
Inside Book 1 Sample
Inside Book 2 Sample
Where to buy Seeking the Storyteller:
Autographed Copy from Briana and Jessica
Where to buy Beneath the Chapter:
The Hunters Series
The Hunters Series is an ongoing, young adult, urban fantasy series by Briana and her partner, Jessica Walsh. Together, the two women are creating a fantastical universe where the things that go bump in the night may deserve a second glance, even if we’re told that it’s “just the wind.”
The first book is Seeking the Storyteller. In it, we’re introduced to Alix Andre DeBenit and Randall Fagan. These two men are Hunters, people who are part of a hidden network of humans who track and kill the monsters lurking in our world so everyone else can pretend they don’t exist. But when a living shadow mentions someone called the Storyteller, Alix hesitantly decides to learn more. They say the Storyteller lives in a massive library full of books that tell every being’s life story. He can read these books, rewrite them, and change anything he wants — even if it’s already happened. After his family was killed, this kind of power is exactly what Alix is looking for, he just has to decide if working with the very creatures he’s supposed to kill is worth it.
The sequel, Beneath the Chapter, takes place three months later.
Publications
In Our Words: Queer Stories from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Writers
In Our Words: Queer Stories from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Writers is a thoughtfully curated collection of short stories at the intersection of racial and queer identity. Comprising both the renowned and emerging voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color authors, across multiple countries, and diverse in style, perspective, and theme, In Our Words reflects the complexity and diversity of human experience.
Here is an excerpt from Briana’s short story Sweet Potato.
“Kenneth asked me out.”
“The pastor’s son?” She shook her well-seasoned chicken around in the flour bag. “That’s a fine-lookin’ boy.”
Tall, with light brown skin and dimples for days when he smiled, his church clothes were always pressed to perfection as if he were competing in a sharp dresser contest with the other boys. He always held the door open for women and accepted the cheek pinches of the elderly ladies with grace. “I guess he is…if you into that sorta thing…”
Mama stopped shaking the bag and set it down on the counter. She watched me carefully, studied me like final exams were fast approaching. “And is you into that sorta thing?”
I stared down into my lap instead of her big, brown eyes. When Mama looked at you it felt like the entire world was analyzing every inch of you. I started to count the number of flowers in my dress. Sixteen years old and still wearing floral print to church like a kid.
“Ava Marie, I asked you a question.”
It was rude to leave Mama waiting, especially when she threw the Marie in my name. I swallowed the lump in my throat and said, “No, Mama, I ain’t.”
“Well then,” she said as she grabbed the bag again, “you best tell that boy no.”
Where to buy:
The Essential Anime Guide: 50 Iconic Films, Standout Series, and Cult Masterpieces
The Essential Anime Guide is the guide every fan needs to the classic, must-see anime series and films that transformed both Japanese and Western pop culture. Organized by release date and with entries by experts in the anime field, this guide provides a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look into the history and impact of these classic anime. Both casual fans and serious otaku alike will discover a fun and surprisingly touching portrait of the true impact of anime on pop culture.
Briana’s essays focus on: Revolutionary Girl Utena and Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Fandom Zines
Wanderlust
This was a fanzine that focused on the pairing of Katsuki Bakugo and Izuku Midoriya, or BakuDeku. Its theme revolved around the animated series’ second ending theme, “Datte Atashi no Hero,” set in a fairy tale fantasy world where Deku is an adventurer and Bakugo is a traveling barbarian.
Briana’s fic Two Sides can be read here.
Your Are My Sunshine
This was a fanzine that focused on the happy and fluff as well as the darker and sad side of the pairing of Eijiro Kirishima and Izuku Midoriya, or KiriDeku. It’s theme started from where they first started dating to their wedding, which drew the conclusion of "You are My Sunshine" as the theme.
Briana’s fic Steps To Sunrise can be read here.
Wonder Duo: Rising Anthology
This was a fanzine that focused on the pairing of Katsuki Bakugo and Izuku Midoriya, or BakuDeku. Its theme revolved around the training camp featured in the third season of My Hero Academia throughout various points of Bakugo and Deku’s school years at UA.
Briana’s fic Fake It Til You Date It can be read here.