Leslie J. Anderson

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Leslie J. Anderson was born and raised in Michigan, where she spent a lot of time falling off ponies and out of trees. She earned her M.A. in writing from Ohio University. Her poetry was nominated for the Pushcart Prize and a Rhysling Award. She works as a marketing and communications manager for a financial consulting firm and lives in Ohio in a small, white house beside a cemetery, with three good dogs and a Roomba.

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with Leslie J. Anderson

“A friend once described my writing as walking through her grandparent's house at night- the beautiful antiques being at the same time familiar and also menacing. She knew that she was safe, and knew the way, and yet also knew that something was wrong and strained her eyes and ears to spot it. Thrilling, she said, and transformative.”

Bibliography

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Standalone Fiction

The Unmothers

2024

Standalone Non-fiction

100 Prompts for Science Fiction Writers

2018

Works of Poetry

Take This to Space

2022

with Leslie J. Anderson

For those unfamiliar with your style & genre, how would you describe your writing?

I do horror and horror that crosses over into fantasy and science fiction. A friend once described my writing as walking through her grandparent's house at night- the beautiful antiques being at the same time familiar and also menacing. She knew that she was safe, and knew the way, and yet also knew that something was wrong and strained her eyes and ears to spot it. Thrilling, she said, and transformative. That's a much better description than I would have managed on my own.

Where did you grow up and did this location influence your writing in any way?

I was born in Detroit and grew up mostly in rural Michigan going to a very conservative religious school. These are the folks that populate my stories now, the people with good hearts who were trapped by fences of their own design- the crumbling boom town, the hungry, one-stoplight town.

What kind of reader were you as a child?

I was late to reading, because my eyesight was very, very bad and it took some time for anyone to notice. As soon as I had my glasses I read voraciously, and largely unsupervised, which meant I got my hands on adult books and challenged myself to get through them. I read everything, but was especially in love with the Dear America books. I loved comic books too.

For readers new to your work, what title would you recommend?

I'm pretty happy with my own style, but Stuart Turton's writing blows me away. He's a master of his genre.

Who are your top 5 favorite authors?

Margaret Atwood, Jeff Vandermere, Joy Harjo, T.S. Eliot, Rebecca Solnit

What is one book you repeatedly gift?

A Paradise Built Through Hell. I think that's an important book to read about humanity.

Of all the characters you've penned, who has been most influenced by your personal story?

In the Unmothers there is a side character named Brittany, who just wants to take care of horses and can't understand why everyone can't just behave and avoid her mother's anger. Her coping mechanisms are very similar to mine when I as a child. Because of that, she was a bit difficult to write.

What is your favorite indie bookstore?

Unmothers!

Describe your writing space.

With a day job and a kid I don't really have luxury of long, uninterrupted writing time in a calm, predictable place. I write where I can- in the daycare parking lot, at the library between meetings, or in a blanket nest on the couch. So far blanket nest is my favorite.

And finally, what's your ideal reading nook?

Honestly I've never met a reading nook I didn't like. I built one under my stairs, so that one is probably my favorite. It's painted like you're hiding under a bush and it's full of mushroom pillows.

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