LGBTQ+ · Indianapolis
Leah Johnson’s Indianapolis roots shaped a path into LGBTQ+ young adult fiction
Raised on Indianapolis’ west side, Leah Johnson became a writer whose work centers queer and diverse young people, including the Black queer protagonist of her acclaimed debut novel.
By KLGBT News Desk ·
Leah Johnson’s path to publishing began on the west side of Indianapolis, where she was raised and developed an early love of reading. That local beginning became part of a broader career in writing, journalism and young adult fiction.
As a student, Johnson edited her high school newspaper and participated in tennis, show choir and concert choir. She later attended Indiana University Bloomington, where she interned with the Wall Street Journal, WFIU and WPLN. She went on to earn a master of fine arts degree in fiction writing from Sarah Lawrence College.
Johnson began writing her first novel in 2018, while she was a graduate student at Sarah Lawrence. The project grew after she published an essay for Electric Literature about the lack of diverse young adult literature. Editor Sarah Landis subsequently contacted her and helped her develop the work into a book proposal.
That novel, “You Should See Me in a Crown,” was published in 2020. Its central character is a Black queer teenager who runs for prom queen in hopes of winning a college scholarship. The book received critical acclaim and earned a Stonewall Book Award Honor, placing Johnson’s debut within a tradition of LGBTQ+-affirming literature recognized by the award.
Johnson followed the debut with “Rise to the Sun” in 2021. Her later work includes “Ellie Engle Saves Herself!,” published in 2023. The supplied biographical material identifies Johnson as both a writer and a businesswoman, while her published fiction establishes a recurring connection to young readers and representation.
For Indianapolis readers, Johnson’s biography offers a clear local point of connection to a national young adult publishing career. Her early experiences in the city included school journalism, performance groups and athletics before she pursued writing through college, internships and graduate study. Those varied activities form the background to a body of work associated with queer and diverse youth stories.
Johnson’s career also illustrates how literary work can develop across different forms: from student journalism and reported internships to essays, novels and children’s fiction. Her debut’s recognition through a Stonewall honor further connects her Indianapolis origin story with LGBTQ+ literary culture beyond the city.
Source and reuse information This automatically generated backgrounder adapts text from “Leah Johnson (writer)” on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leah_Johnson_(writer) The adapted text is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license (CC BY-SA 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. The source article’s linked references are provided below where available. This story has not been independently reviewed or fact-checked.
Further links listed by the Wikipedia page (not independently checked): - https://www.indystar.com/story/entertainment/arts/2020/07/05/indianapolis-native-leah-johnson-talks-you-should-see-me-crown/3267577001/ - https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2021/02/14/966493175/author-leah-johnson-on-being-young-black-queer-and-in-love - https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/arts-and-culture/qa-with-y-a-sensation-leah-johnson - https://diversebooks.org/qa-with-leah-johnson-you-should-see-me-in-a-crown/ - https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/83707-spring-2020-flying-starts-leah-johnson.html - https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/local-author-leah-johnsons-book-you-should-see-me-in-a-crown-becomes-first-ya-pick-for-reese-witherspoons-book-club Image rights Photograph description: 24 June 2021 - Indianapolis, IN - US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh speaks to LGBTQ Community Leaders at Baby's restaurant in Indianapolis, Indiana. Official Department of Labor Photograph*** Photographs taken by the federal government are generally part of the public domain and may beused, copied and distributed without permission. Unless otherwise noted, photos posted here may be used without th Creator: US Department of Labor. License: CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0). Original image page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AL-21-06-24-A-006_(51268561483).jpg. The image was resized for display; no other changes were made.