Lissa Muscatine outside of her office at Politics and Prose, the bookstore she is co-owner of in Northwest Washington.

Journalist, speech-writer, and soon-to-be author are all phrases that can be ascribed to Lissa Muscatine, the woman responsible for writing speeches for some of the nation’s best-known Democrats.

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Muscatine, at age 64, is at a stage in her life where she has something to say and is ready to do so in her own voice.

A close friend and college roommate from Harvard University, Denise Thal,  described Muscatine as “remarkable, intrepid and passionate.”

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Muscatine may appear soft spoken, but she is full of personality. With her spare time she likes to play tennis, attend cycling class and pick up a fiction book.

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Throughout her career as a journalist, she was a reporter and an editor for The Washington Post, and prior to that she reported for The Washington Star. Muscatine spent 15 years in journalism before deciding she wanted to get involved with politics.

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Muscatine is very opinionated on various topics, and journalism required her to be non-partisan — a great challenge for her.

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“I [didn’t] want to work for a Republican president,” said Muscatine, explaining why she did not pursue political speechwriting sooner.

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But when Bill Clinton, a Democrat, became president in 1993, she knew that it was time to leave journalism and start a new journey.

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Muscatine’s husband, Bradley Graham, said that he supported Muscatine on her new venture and had no reservations about her decisions.

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Muscatine was appointed presidential speechwriter for the Clinton White House, where her work was split in half between the Clintons. She also was the speechwriter for Hillary Clinton when she was the secretary of state during the Obama administration.

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Speechwriting allowed Muscatine to use her voice while not having to be non-partisan. Working for Hillary Clinton was “fun and liberating,” said Muscatine.

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Muscatine continued to work with Hillary Clinton throughout the years. She collaborated with Clinton on her 2003 memoir, “Living History,” served as a senior adviser on her 2008 presidential campaign, and was an unofficial adviser on her 2016 campaign.  

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Muscatine has witnessed political events that have strongly impacted America.  

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When Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, Muscatine was devastated that America picked such a person.

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That moment in history was when Muscatine decided the time was right to say something in her own voice.

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She said that the hard part of this process was having so much to say about her experience with the Clintons and trying to find a way to cohesively put all of it together.

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After consulting with friends and family over many months,  she put together the book proposal and decided to title the book “Hillaryland.”  

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Now she is working with Penguin Press to create a dynamic story about Hillary Clinton, politics and gender dynamics in America.  

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The book will address the “traditional male spheres of power,” and what it means to have power said Muscatine

Muscatine started writing the book in June and said that it should be on shelves within the next 12 to 15 months.

 

Aside from her politically active life, Muscatine is also the co-owner of Politics and Prose, a popular indie bookstore in Northwest Washington.

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Being the co-owner of a bookstore was not Muscatine’s intent. Originally, Graham was interested in the bookstore, and she was simply supporting him through the process.  

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When Graham went to interview to be the owner, Muscatine accompanied him. One thing led to the next, and they ended up as co-owners.  

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Graham enjoys having Muscatine as the co-owner. He said, “I could see the necessity to have her as a business partner.”

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Muscatine does not regret this decision, and she views Politics and Prose as a “cultural treasure.”

“It is a sanctuary for a respectful exchange of ideas,” said Muscatine.

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Muscatine and Graham believe it is important for everyone to have access to bookstores, which is why they have opened two new ones in Northeast and Southwest Washington.   

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Muscatine has always been an advocate for what she believes in. Thal said that while they were at Harvard University, Muscatine fought for female athletes to receive better treatment.

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Muscatine and Thal both played on the Harvard women’s basketball team and the coed touch football team.  

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To this day, Muscatine is passionate about women’s rights. She said that “the world is not looked [at] through the eyes of women.” Muscatine said she will continue to use her talents to provide “a voice for non-white males.”