Leah Johnson is an American writer. Her debut novel ''

You Should See Me in a Crown "You Should See Me in a Crown" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the lead single of her debut studio album, ''When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?'' (2019). It was released on July 18, 2018, through Darkroom and In ...

'' (2020) received critical acclaim, including a

Stonewall Book Award The Stonewall Book Award is a set of three literary awards that annually recognize "exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience" in English-language books published in the U.S. They are sponsored by the Rainbo ...

Honor. She is the author of ''Rise to the Sun'' (2021) and ''Ellie Engle Saves Herself!'' (2023).

Early life and education

Johnson was raised on the west side of

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, Indiana. She was an avid reader from childhood. 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. While in college at

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana University and, with ...

, she interned at

the Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

WFIU WFIU (103.7 MHz) is a public radio station broadcasting from Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. The station is a member station of NPR, Public Radio International and American Public Media. Together with ...

, and

WPLN WPLN may refer to: * WPLN-FM, a radio station (90.3 FM) licensed to serve Nashville, Tennessee, United States * WYGI WYGI (1430 AM) is a radio station licensed to Madison, Tennessee. The station serves the Nashville, Tennessee, area along with ...

. Johnson received her MFA in fiction writing from

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Supervision system, Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sara ...

Career

Johnson began the manuscript for her debut novel ''

'' in 2018 as a graduate student at

. After publishing an

Electric Literature ''Electric Literature'' is an independent publisher founded by Andy Hunter and Scott Lindenbaum in 2009 as a quarterly journal. It launched the first fiction magazine on the iPhone and iPad. The print version of the journal is produced via print ...

essay about the dearth of diverse YA literature, editor Sarah Landis reached out to help her craft a book proposal. ''You Should See Me in a Crown'' centers a Black queer teenager who runs for

Prom Queen A promenade dance, commonly called a prom, is a dance party for high school students. It may be offered in semi-formal black tie or informal suit for boys, and evening gowns for girls. This event is typically held near the end of the school year ...

to win a college scholarship. 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." Published in 2020 by Scholastic, the book received critical acclaim. It received a Stonewall Book honor and was selected as

Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...

's first YA book of the month, among other accolades. ''You Should See Me in a Crown'' was among over 729 books that were banned or challenged in 2021. In 2022 Johnson received the Indiana Authors award for Young Adult Literature for ''You Should See Me in a Crown''. Her second novel ''Rise to the Sun'' (Scholastic) was released on July 6, 2021. The book is about "two girls named Toni and Olivia who both go to a music festival and search for two very different things." In a starred review ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' described the book: "Here, Johnson pens a love letter to the healing power of music, enduring friendship, summertime love stories, and hard-won resilience." Her middle grade debut, ''Ellie Engle Saves Herself!'', was published on May 2, 2023 under

Disney-Hyperion Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW), formerly known as The Disney Publishing Group and Buena Vista Publishing Group, is the publishing subsidiary of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its imprints inclu ...

. The book follows a young girl who discovers she has an amazing superpower. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' stated in a positive review, "This fast-paced, humorous novel will have readers racing to the end as they fall in love with Ellie’s quirky and authentic personality. Johnson deftly explores identity and responsibility to ourselves and others in this joyful coming-of-age story."

In June 2023, Johnson announced plans to open Loudmouth Books, an independent bookshop dedicated to "highlighting

banned books This is an index of lists of banned books, which contain books that have been banned or censored by religious authority or government. By country * Book censorship in Canada * Book censorship in China * List of books banned in India * Book ce ...

and uplifting the work of marginalized authors." A

GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the b ...

campaign to support the store's start-up costs raised $16,570 toward its goal of $10,000.

Personal life

Johnson resides in

. She identifies as

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

, and came to accept her sexuality while writing her debut novel ''

You Should See Me In A Crown "You Should See Me in a Crown" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the lead single of her debut studio album, ''When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?'' (2019). It was released on July 18, 2018, through Darkroom and In ...

''.

Works

* ''

.'' United States,

Scholastic Inc Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

, 2 June 2020, print and digital * ''Rise to the Sun.'' United States, Scholastic , 6 July 2021, print and digital * ''Ellie Engle Saves Herself!.'' United States,

2 May 2023, print and digital

Awards

For ''

'' * 2021

Honor * ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time * Indiana Authors Award for Young Adult Literature, 2022

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Leah 1993 births Living people African-American women writers American LGBT novelists Writers from Indianapolis American queer writers Indiana University Bloomington alumni Sarah Lawrence College alumni African-American LGBT people Queer women 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women Queer novelists LGBT people from Indiana