An African America woman whose maternal roots are deeply embedded in Mid-western soil, Annette Louise Murrell, Ph.D. (Dr Diva) has spent the majority of her life in Lincoln, Nebraska where she has earned recognition as a singer, actress, and writer.

As a singer, Dr Diva has performed at practically every Nebraska venue including the Zoo Bar, the Lincoln Community Playhouse, the Loft at the Mill, James Arthur Vineyards, the Nebraska Repertory Theatre, and the Lied Center for the Performing Arts. She has also been a guest vocalist twice with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, and numerous times with the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra. Dr Diva has also appeared as a guest artist on the recordings of legendary Lincoln trumpeter Mac McCune, as well as the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra. Dr Diva has recorded two albums, My Shining Hour and Annette Murrell: Live at the Zoo Bar! She has also done radio voice work and jingles. Dr Diva was also featured in the NET Television original documentary Hard Times Swing, which explores the history of swing bands in the Midwest during the Depression.

As an actress, Dr Diva has performed lead roles in numerous theatrical productions in Nebraska including: Working, Nunsense, A Little Hotel on the Side, Ain't Misbehavin', Sound of Music, Big River, On the Twentieth Century, She Loves Me, and Smokey Joe's Café. She has also performed at the Firehouse Theatre in Newburyport, Massachusetts. In addition, Dr Diva hosted the NET Television music showcase Backstage Pass, and she has been featured in several training films and local television commercials.

Educated at Stanford, the University of Nairobi in Kenya, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr Diva has published essays and poetry in a variety of publications, including the anthology Times of Sorrow/Times of Grace: Writing by Women of the Great Plains/High Plains and the academic and literary journals a/b: Auto/biography Studies, Proteus, and Prairie Schooner. After graduate school, Dr Diva studied poetry and fiction writing at the famed Bread Loaf writer's retreat during the summer of 2000. In May 2004, she was awarded a three-year fellowship to the acclaimed Cave Canem Workshop/Retreat for African American Poets, which is held annually at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr Diva's poetry book, I wanna be a bad woman, was published by her press Good Works, Ink. in September 2007.

Dr Diva has won numerous community awards, including six KZUM (Lincoln's community radio station) music awards and the 1992 Woman Artist of the Year award from the Lincoln-Lancaster Commission on the Status of Women.

Currently, Dr Diva is busy completing several writing and music projects. She also stays busy as an announcer for NET Radio, Nebraska's NPR station, a Peer Outreach Worker at Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach, and as the featured vocalist for 11:59@First-Plymouth.

In addition, Dr Diva is a member of The Angels Theatre Company, the Mental Health Association of Nebraska, and she serves on the Board of Directors of People's Health Center.

Dr Diva shares a home with her lovely mother and anime-aficionado son. Her hobbies are sewing, crocheting, and gardening.