Luisah Teish is an author, storyteller, and priestess of the Ifá/Orisha faith from New Orleans, Louisiana.
She is the founder and president of Ile Orunmila Oshun, and holds a chieftancy title in the Fatunmise lineage as head Oshun Priest in the United States. She is the Vice President of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology, and the founder of the School of Ancient Mysteries and Sacred Arts Center in Oakland, CA. She is the author of several books on African religion, including Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals, Carnival of the Spirit, and Jump Up: Good Times Throughout the Season with Celebrations from Around the World.
She is a theatrical performer of African, Caribbean, and African-American folklore and feminist myth. Teish is also a playwright and director, whose works include Olokun's Challenge. She has been on the faculty at University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland, California, the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, California, and she teaches at New College of California, John F. Kennedy University, the Montclair Women's Cultural Arts Center, and Naropa University. Her performances, lectures and workshops have taken her to Europe, Egypt, South America, New Zealand, Nigeria, Costa Rica, and across the United States.