About

Short bio:

Rachel León (she/they) is a writer, editor, and social worker, who has worked in child welfare for nearly two decades. She serves as Managing Director for Chicago Review of Books. They are the author of the novel, How We See the Gray.

Longer bio: 

Rachel León (she/they) is a writer, editor, and social worker, who has worked in child welfare for nearly two decades. She serves as Managing Director for Chicago Review of Books and Fiction Director for Arcturus. Their work has appeared in The Rumpus, Catapult, LA Review of Books, BOMB Magazine, Lit Hub, Brooklyn Rail, Foglifter, Electric Literature, The Millions, Split Lip Magazine, Publishers Weekly, the Ploughshares blog, CRAFT, and elsewhere.

Her writing has been supported by Poets & Writers, Tin House’s Summer Workshop, StoryStudio Chicago’s Storyboard, Stony Brook University’s BookEnds program, and the Illinois Arts Council. They were the 2026 recipient for Literary Excellence by the Rockford Area Arts Council.

Rachel León is the editor of The Rockford Anthology (Belt Publishing, 2025). They are the author of the novel, How We See the Gray (Curbstone Books).