Leslie Taylor Grover's Literary Life

"I want to tell the truth and share the story I’m given and inspired to write by Black women’s experiences and my ancestors’ blessings."

I’ve always been very curious about the life that brings a writer to the pen or keyboard. My hope is that in getting to know authors in a new light, we might find ourselves in the process. Today, we are featuring our first author, Leslie T. Grover, author of the novella The Benefits of Eating White Folks.

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Leslie T. Grover (she/her) is a southern writer and activist. Born in the Mississippi Delta, her writing is a love letter to her small town roots. Her novella, The Benefits of Eating White Folks, was published by Jaded Ibis Press in April 2022 and was a finalist in the African American Fiction Category for American Book Fest’s Best Books award. Her short stories have appeared in Waxing and Waning: Blackout Edition, SWING magazine, and Owl Hollow Press’ The Takeback Anthology. She is managing editor for PushBlack, a media organization dedicated to uplifting Black identity through Black history storytelling. Leslie currently lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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What inspired you to start writing?

I don’t know what inspired me to start writing. I was trying to write before I even knew what it was. For as long as I can remember I have made up stories - just for myself - in my head. The first time I wrote a story down was when I was eight years old. It was about a little princess who ran away and the entire world spent their time searching for her.

Can you describe your first piece of published work?

My first piece of published work was when I was 16 or 17. I went to an arts camp called FireSpark. My story got published in a local magazine. It was called “The Sun Always Rises, about a Jamaican woman who lost her arm when the bone was shattered as she was trying to save her son’s life.”

How did it feel to get published for the first time?

 It felt great, but I was more interested in the story itself. I would tell stories, even if I never had another single publication again. For me the process of writing a story is a high. Just writing and letting the story tell itself. It’s natural to me and I would feel lost and depressed without it. And in all transparency, when I am not writing, I know depression is setting in and I need to make lifestyle changes.

Were there any early challenges or obstacles you faced when you started writing?

I didn’t face any challenges. But I did suffer from imposter syndrome. I knew I could write, but I didn’t think I would ever be able to write professionally. I did it because it was part of who I am. I always told stories and enjoyed hearing them. I guess that’s why I am a horrible liar. I put all my creativity into my stories and then when it comes to lying, I have nothing left, LOL.