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My Approach as
a College Essay Coach

I have helped many students write their college and graduate school essays over the past twenty years. It is one of my favorite activities because it is so personal and ultimately so rewarding. I’ve watched kids with average grades and SAT scores gain admission to top schools because of their superlative personal essays and I’ve seen others with excellent grades and top SAT scores get unexpected full ride scholarships to top universities greatly aided by their strong personal essays. Most importantly, I’ve watched all of my students find that nugget of truth that sheds light for them on their lives and their struggles and who they are deep down. That’s the best part, no matter where they end up in college.

 

So far, I have worked with students who have been accepted to Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Sarah Lawrence, NYU, Penn, Bennington, Boston College, Boston U., Emerson College, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, DePaul, Claremont College, Tulane, USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, California Institute of the Arts, California College of the Arts, to name but a few. I have also worked with many students on their graduate school essays who have been accepted into medical, dental, pharmacy and law school.

Providing a Safe Place to Learn and Take Risks With Writing

As a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas for many years, I bring that therapeutic expertise into my interaction with my students.  My goal is to create a safe environment in which my students can relax and begin to understand their potential, both in writing and in life in general.  I have watched my students grow and thrive in this positive atmosphere and surprise themselves with their successes.  I wholeheartedly believe that the trust that comes from our close working relationship bolsters my students' self-esteem and gives them confidence to stretch when it comes to learning and life. I have seen this validated time and time again as they take the chance to strive for far-reaching goals and find themselves attaining them.

Scholastic Artists and Writers Contest: An Opportunity to Demonstrate Excellence in Writing

The Scholastic Artists and Writers contest, the oldest and most prestigious writing contest for youth in the U.S., has been around since the 1920s and has winners that have long since become household names. Truman Capote and Joyce Carol Oates are both Scholastic winners, along with Robert Redford, Alan Arkin, Ken Burns, Richard Linklater. 

 

Over the past 17 years, I've had students receive state and regional awards for their flash fiction, short stories, poetry and personal essays. I have also had four students who have won Gold or Silver medals on the national level. This recognition is especially exciting since all Gold Key national winners and their writing teachers are honored at Carnegie Hall in New York City. I must admit it has been quite thrilling to be invited twice to Carnegie Hall to help honor the best writers and artists in grades 7 - 12 in the United States. My students who were invited describe this experience as "life-changing."

 

 

 

People Who Enlist My Services Usually Want To:
 
1) Become better writers. 
2) Write successful college and graduate essays.
3) Become better students.
4) Finish fiction and nonfiction book projects.
5) Polish their work through professional editing. 
My Qualifications:
  • 20 years of private teaching experience to students in the greater Los Angeles area.  
  • 12 years of online teaching experience for Story Circle Network, a nonprofit organization that encourages women to tell their stories.  
  • Published in flash fiction, personal essay, poetry and memoir. 
  • Author of a full-length memoir and a novel.  
  • 8 years as a daily blogger for 20 Minutes a Day, found at lenleatherwood.com.
  • Professional editor.
  • 5 years in author John Rechy's Master Class in Fiction Writing.
  • 9- time presenter at "Stories of the Heart" national writing conference.  
  • 17-time winner of Scholastic writing teacher award.
  • Pushcart Prize nominee in fiction, honored as best of the Small Presses in the United States.
 
Testimonials 

Len's studied and creative encouragement truly inspired my daughters to become strong writers.  She has a warm, supportive approach which really motivates kids and teens to have fun with their writing but at the same time develop discipline and skills.

 

My kids and I are grateful to Len for her direction, effort and inspiration!

 

--Susanne's daughters attend Harvard University.

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Len is one of the most influential adults in my life - she was even mentioned in some of my college supplements and essays. I've been working with her since I was in 4th grade and now I am graduating high school - how time flies. She has taught me everything I know about creative writing and without her I'm sure this extreme passion of mine would not have survived all these years. She has also guided and helped me to win two regional Scholastic Silver Keys as well as countless merit awards and not to mention being published online. Len is one of the nicest people I know and probably knows me just as well as my parents. She is caring, fostering, kind, helpful, and all around fantastic. ❤️

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--Cameron, Tulane University in New Orleans.

I've been working with Len from elementary school into college on poetry and fiction, and she's been both a source of inspiration and motivation for me throughout my life. The support she has given to me and my writing has helped me find the confidence to pursue it as a profession, and working with her has not only strengthened my voice but my passion for the written word.”

 

 Madison, Georgetown University and Cambridge University.

Len made the impossible possible. Not only did she guide my son in crafting an articulate and creative college essay, she made him feel articulate and creative. He is a reluctant student who always took the easy way, but while working with Len he felt confident and such an empowering sense of accomplishment that his sails were full of wind to face the ordeal of college applications. Len made the process so much more bearable with her wisdom and guidance. I don't know what we would have done without her expertise. 

 

-- Elizabeth's son just graduated from DePaul University.

 

 

 

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