Press Kit

Short Bio (For more information, visit Sell Sheet)

Leslie Johnson Piotrowski is a debut picture book author. Her first book, “The Northbound Train,” will be released by Abrams Books for Young Readers on January 5, 2027. She received a BA in English from Bennington College and pursued a career in public relations. She also served in the U.S. Peace Corps where she taught literacy to sugarcane laborers in the Philippines for two years. She earned an M.S. in Public Service Management from DePaul University. A native of Chicago, she lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with her husband.

Long Bio

Leslie Johnson Piotrowski is a debut picture book author. Her first book, “The Northbound Train,” will be released by Abrams Books for Young Readers on January 5, 2027. The book has been designated as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard title. Her second book, “The Drinking Fountain,” will also be released by Abrams. The date is TBD. Piotrowski was the winner of the 2025 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators-Illinois Many Voices contest.

Piotrowski is a biracial author with a passion for representation and sharing her own heritage through literature. She primarily writes historical fiction books as a way to help children learn more about complicated moments in American history. She received a BA in English from Bennington College and pursued a career in public relations for several decades. She earned an M.S. in Public Service Management from DePaul University. She recently rediscovered her passion for fiction writing.

When she is not at her computer, she is cooking international meals, practicing Zumba, walking in the forest preserves, or reading a good book. A native of Chicago, she lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with her husband.

Photos