Leah Johnson

Leah Johnson

Keynote Speaker: Award-Winning Author of "You Should See Me in a Crown"

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    Live Event Fee: Below $10,000
    Virtual Event Fee: Below $10,000
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Leah Johnson Biography

Leah Johnson is an eternal midwesterner and author of award-winning books for children and young adults. Her bestselling debut YA novel, "You Should See Me in a Crown," was a Stonewall Honor Book, the inaugural Reese's Book Club YA pick and named a best book of the year by Amazon, Kirkus, Marie Claire, Publishers Weekly and New York Public Library. Johnson's essays and cultural criticism can be found in Teen Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Cosmopolitan among others. Her sophomore novel, "Rise to the Sun" was released in 2021. Johnson is a 2021 Lambda Literary Emerging Writers Fellow and when she’s not writing or ranting about pop culture and politics on Twitter, she is a professor of creative writing and composition.

Johnson was born and raised in central Indiana — a tried and true, lifelong Hoosier (and as you can perhaps imagine, much of her work now features more cornfields and soybeans than any one human has business writing about). She began her writing career with a spiral notebook full of short stories in Mrs. Peacock's fifth-grade class and could never quite bring herself to stop. That love of storytelling eventually carried her to Sarah Lawrence College for her MFA in fiction writing, and to Brooklyn to live amongst every other struggling writer.

Johnson says she never felt like she saw herself in the young adult characters she read about as a teen, so she decided to write one herself. "You Should See Me in a Crown" was released to critical acclaim. The novel was a Junior Library Guild Selection, a 2021 ALA Rainbow List Top Ten selection and named one of Cosmopolitan's 15 Best Young Adult Books of 2020. Her sophomore novel, "Rise to the Sun" (2021) is the first installment of her debut middle grade series, "Ellie Engle Saves Herself."

Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Leah Johnson and other top speakers and celebrities.

Leah Johnson Videos

Author Talk with Leah Johnson
Leah Johnson Reads Rise to the Sun
Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson

How do I book Leah Johnson to speak at my event?

Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Leah Johnson for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Leah Johnson, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Leah Johnson or any other speaker of your choice.

How much does it cost to book Leah Johnson for a speaking engagement?

Speaking fees for Leah Johnson, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Leah Johnson are Below $10,000 for live events and Below $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Leah Johnson, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

What topics does Leah Johnson speak about?

Leah Johnson is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Authors, Diversity & Inclusion, Women, Literary, Professors, Generational Issues and Journalism.

Where does Leah Johnson travel from?

Leah Johnson generally travels from Brooklyn, NY, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.

Who is the agent for Leah Johnson?

AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Leah Johnson for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Leah Johnson for your next private or corporate function.

What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Leah Johnson or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.

Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.


Leah Johnson is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Authors, Diversity & Inclusion and Women. The estimated speaking fee range to book Leah Johnson for live events is Below $10,000, and for virtual events Below $10,000. Leah Johnson generally travels from Brooklyn, NY, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Pam Muñoz Ryan, Lois Lowry and Sharon Delaney McCloud. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Leah Johnson for an upcoming event.

Leah Johnson Videos

Author Talk with Leah Johnson
Leah Johnson Reads Rise to the Sun
Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson
Leah Johnson Reads You Should See Me in a Crown

Leah Johnson News

  • Author Leah Johnson On Being Young, Black, Queer And In Love

    Johnson says she wrote You Should See Me in a Crown for her readers, yes, but also for herself: "I wanted to remind myself that it is possible to be Black and queer and from where you're from, and still get all the best things out of life."

  • Leah Johnson Didn’t See Herself in YA Novels, so She Wrote Her Own

    "You Should See Me in a Crown" is a quietly radical novel about a queer black prom queen in small-town Indiana. It's about Liz Lighty, a queer black girl from Indiana who has always believed she was too poor and too awkward to make a mark in her small, rich town. Since the college financial aid money she depended on fell through, her only option is to run for prom queen, which has a scholarship attached. But along the way, Liz falls for the competition.

  • 'Black joy is at the heart of' author and Indianapolis native Leah Johnson's YA novel

    Leah Johnson decided it was her turn to be prom queen. In an orange Zara pantsuit, prom court sash and a crown her friends bought for her off Amazon, the author walked onto the Ben Davis High School bleachers with her debut novel, thinking about what it was like to grow up in Indianapolis and how far she’s come since.

  • Q&A With Y.A. Sensation Leah Johnson

    Johnson, author of the best-selling book You Should See Me in a Crown, reflects on the success of her recent debut novel, growing up in the Midwest, life during the pandemic, the recent rise of Black Lives Matter, and what’s next.

  • How do I book Leah Johnson to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Leah Johnson for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Leah Johnson, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Leah Johnson or any other speaker of your choice.
  • How much does it cost to book Leah Johnson for a speaking engagement?

    Speaking fees for Leah Johnson, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Leah Johnson are Below $10,000 for live events and Below $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Leah Johnson, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Leah Johnson speak about?

    Leah Johnson is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Authors, Diversity & Inclusion, Women, Literary, Professors, Generational Issues and Journalism.
  • Where does Leah Johnson travel from?

    Leah Johnson generally travels from Brooklyn, NY, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.
  • Who is the agent for Leah Johnson?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Leah Johnson for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Leah Johnson for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Leah Johnson or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
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