Olisakwe was born and raised in Kano State, northern Nigeria. Her parents are from eastern Nigeria. She completed her secondary education in northern Nigeria and subsequently earned a degree in Computer Science from Abia State Polytechnic, in Aba, Nigeria.
Olisakwe's debut novel, Eyes of a Goddess, was published in 2012.
In 2016, Olisakwe was a resident at the University of Iowa's International Writing Program. In 2018, Olisakwe won the Vermont College of Fine Arts Emerging Writers Scholarship to pursue an MFA in Writing and Publishing.
In July 2020, Olisakwe founded Isele Magazine.
