Short bio:
Rachel León (she/they) is a writer, editor, and social worker, who has worked in the foster care system for over twelve years. She serves as Managing Director for Chicago Review of Books. Her debut novel, How We See the Gray, is forthcoming from Curbstone Books in May 2026.
Longer bio:
Rachel León (she/they) is a writer, editor, and social worker, who has worked in the foster care system for over thirteen years. She serves as Managing Director for Chicago Review of Books and Fiction Director for Arcturus. Her work has appeared in The Rumpus, Catapult, LA Review of Books, BOMB Magazine, Brooklyn Rail, Foglifter, Electric Literature, The Millions, Split Lip Magazine, Publishers Weekly, CRAFT, the Ploughshares blog, and elsewhere.
Her writing has been supported by Tin House’s Summer Workshop, StoryStudio Chicago’s Storyboard, Stony Brook University’s BookEnds program, and the Illinois Arts Council.
Rachel León is the editor of The Rockford Anthology, forthcoming from Belt Publishing October 21, 2025. Her debut novel, How We See the Gray, is forthcoming from Curbstone Books (Northwestern University Press) May 15, 2026.