Leanne Phillips is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in journals including the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Rumpus, Kelp Journal, Persimmon Tree, The Coachella Review, and the New American Studies Journal. She is a book coach certified in fiction and in memoir, a professional editor, and the Fiction Editor for Kelp Journal.
Leanne earned her MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts from the University of California at Riverside, Palm Desert. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with an emphasis in creative writing and a minor in history, from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She earned her book coaching certification through Author Accelerator and a Copyediting Certificate from the University of California at San Diego.
Leanne was at various times the Multimedia Editor, Books Editor, Lead Copyeditor, and Social Media Manager for The Coachella Review. She is a former Fiction and Poetry Editor for Byzantium and a former Books Editor for GXRL. She is a lifelong Californian currently based on the Central Coast. She is a feminist, historian, amateur photographer, and beachcomber. She has an affinity for books, movies, television, live music, and U.S. and California history. She has worked as a paralegal, music promoter, beerista, and website developer. Her community involvement includes volunteering at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, serving on the Board of Directors of SLO NightWriters, and volunteering as a certified sexual assault and intimate partner violence crisis counselor and as part of the sexual assault response team for Lumina Alliance (formerly RISE).