Leanne Toshiko Simpson
BIO
Biography

Leanne Toshiko Simpson is a mixed-race Yonsei writer, educator and psychiatric survivor from Scarborough. She is a graduate of UTSC Creative Writing and the University of Guelph’s MFA, and is currently completing a SSHRC-supported EdD in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto, studying the intergenerational impact of the Japanese Canadian internment.

Leanne teaches disability arts and BIPOC literature at the University of Toronto and runs workshops for mad writers in hospitals, museums and cultural centres across Toronto. She also co-founded Mata Ashita, an intergenerational writing circle for Japanese Canadians of all experiences. Her debut novel, Never Been Better will be published by HarperCollins in 2023. You can find her on Instagram at @leannetoshiko. 

ADDRESS
City: Toronto, Province/Territory: Ontario
EMAIL
GENRE
Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry
LANGUAGES
English
PUBLICATIONS
Publications
Title
Never Been Better
Publisher
HarperCollins
Year
2023
AWARDS
Awards
Name
Ontario Book Publishers Organization Emerging Writer for Scarborough
Year
2016
PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS
EQUITY INITIATIVE
As part of the Union’s Equity Implementation Plan, we are committed to increasing awareness of authors who are Black, Indigenous, racialized, LGBTQI2S, or living with a disability. This author identifies as:
Members who identify as:
Black, Indigenous, and/or racialized
LGBTQI2S
Living with a disability
Programs & Interests
Interested in participating Union’s Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program:
All members are eligible for the Union’s Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program. Are you interested in participating in this pro
Yes
Interested in participating in the Northern Ontario WITS program:
The Union’s Northern Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program funds in-person visits to northern Ontario schools when possible. Ar
Yes