Leah Johnson

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Leah Johnson
Born (1993-07-05) July 5, 1993 (age 28)[1]
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
EducationIndiana University Bloomington (BA)
Sarah Lawrence College (MFA)
Genreyoung adult
Notable worksYou Should See Me In A Crown (2020)
Notable awardsStonewall Book honor (2021)
Years active2018–present
Website
www.byleahjohnson.com

Leah Johnson is an American writer. Her debut novel You Should See Me In A Crown (2020) received critical acclaim, including a Stonewall Book Honor. Her second book Rise to the Sun was released in 2021.[2]

Early life and education[]

Johnson was raised on the west side of Indianapolis, Indiana.[1][3] She was an avid reader from childhood.[3] Johnson went on to be the editor-in-chief of her high school's newspaper as well as a tennis player and a member of the show and concert choirs.[3][4] While in college at Indiana University Bloomington, she interned at the Wall Street Journal, WFIU, and WPLN.[3][5] Johnson received her MFA in fiction writing from Sarah Lawrence College.[4]

Career[]

Johnson began the manuscript for her debut novel You Should See Me In A Crown in 2018 as a graduate student at Sarah Lawrence College.[1] After publishing an Electric Literature essay about the dearth of diverse YA literature, editor Sarah Landis reached out to help her craft a book proposal.[5] You Should See Me In A Crown centers a Black queer teenager who runs for Prom Queen to win a college scholarship.[2] Johnson described the book as "very much an homage to the work that I love the most...John Hughes movies of the eighties, the teen romantic comedies of the late '90s, early aughts... I love those stories so much and wanted to see someone like me reflected in them as more than a sidekick."[2]

Published in 2020 by Scholastic, the book received critical acclaim.[3] It received a Stonewall Book honor and was selected as Reese Witherspoon's first YA book of the month, among other accolades.[1][6]

Her second novel Rise to the Sun was released on July 6, 2021.[7] The book is about "two girls named Toni and Olivia who both go to a music festival and search for two very different things."[3]

Personal life[]

Johnson resides in Brooklyn.[3] She identifies as queer, and came to accept her sexuality while writing her debut novel You Should See Me in a Crown.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e Gerike, Lydia (2020-07-05). "'Black joy is at the heart of' author and Indianapolis native Leah Johnson's YA novel". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2021-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ a b c Thomad, Summer (2021-02-14). "Author Leah Johnson On Being Young, Black, Queer And In Love". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Dorantes, Jorge (2020-08-20). "Q&A With Y.A. Sensation Leah Johnson". Indianapolis Monthly. Retrieved 2021-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ a b Aceves, Aaron H. (2020-06-06). "Q&A With Leah Johnson, You Should See Me in a Crown". We Need Diverse Books. Retrieved 2021-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b Grey, Idris (2020-06-26). "Spring 2020 Flying Starts: Leah Johnson". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2021-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Moscato-Goodpaster, Robert (2020-09-08). "Local Author Leah Johnson's book 'You Should See Me In A Crown' Becomes First YA Pick For Reese Witherspoon's Book Club". WFYI Public Media. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  7. ^ "Rise to the Sun". shop.scholastic.com. Retrieved 2021-06-05.

External links[]

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