The Spalding University Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing Program is pleased to announce that award-winning author Leah Henderson has joined the faculty in the area of Writing for Children and Young Adults.
Henderson’s novel One Shadow on the Wall was an Africana Children’s Book Award notable book and a Bank Street Best Book of 2017, starred for outstanding merit. Her short story “Warning: Color May Fade” appears in the YA anthology Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America. Her forthcoming picture books include Mamie on the Mound, A Day for Rememberin’, and Together We March.
A teen mentor and avid traveler, Henderson’s volunteer work has its roots in Mali, West Africa. She attended Callaloo Writing Workshop at Oxford University, is a faculty member of the Highlights Foundation, and volunteers with Kweli Journal and We Need Diverse Books. She holds the MFA in Writing from Spalding University and lives in Washington, D.C.
“Leah Henderson is a rising star among writers for children and young adults and with good reason,” MFA Program Director Kathleen Driskell said. “She’s a marvelous writer— and as a teacher she’s just the sort of faculty member we value at Spalding. She has an adventurous intellect and a deep well of knowledge to draw from, and she is a supportive, generous member of the literary community. She’ll be an engaged and challenging mentor for our students, and I’m elated she’s joined our faculty.”