Leanne Shapton

Leanne Shapton is a writer, artist, and author of 12 books, including “Swimming Studies,” a book that won the 2012 National Book Critic’s Circle Award and was long-listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 2012. Leanne is also co-founder of J&L Books, a non-profit publisher of artists’ books. Born in Ontario, Canada, but now living in New York, Leanne writes literary essays, musings, and book reviews for publications like Curbed, Harper’s, The New York Times Book Review, The New York Times Magazine, and Travel + Leisure. She also works as an art director for newspapers and magazines and has crafted hand lettering for a number of book covers. Her second book, “Important Artifacts and Personal Property From the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry,” was slotted for a film starring Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman, and one of her latest books, “Guestbook,” a book of short stories, won New Statesman’s Books of the Year in 2019. Leanne is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and a former national competitive swimmer.

• Authored and published 12 books
• Won New Statesman’s Books of the Year in 2019 for her collection of short stories, “Guestbook”