Leslé Honoré [LEZ-lay ON-or-ay] is a Blaxican Poet, activist, and author of Fist & Fire, a collection of powerful, unflinching poems that confront issues of social justice through the lenses of real people, and dive into the flames of love within the context of a relationship. Both in her poetry and in her life she works to empower youth to find their voices through the arts, and inspire people to stand in the gaps that social, economic, and racial inequities create. Poetry has always been how Leslé expressed herself, discovering her writer’s voice in childhood. She further honed her work at Xavier University in Louisiana where she studied English Literature and Spanish, then moved to Chicago in 1999. Leslé was a featured speaker at the inaugural TEDx Grand Boulevard in 2020 and is a grantee of Chicago-based organization 3Arts. She has spoken and read her work at: Obama Foundation convenings and events (introducing President Barack Obama at a 2019 event); the 2020 Watermark Innovation Conference; Elevated Chicago Symposia; and gatherings of the Strong, Prosperous and Resilient Communities Challenge (a national network of organizations combating racist practices in neighborhood development and offering new, equitable ways to develop cities); the City of Chicago’s 19th Amendment Commemoration; Latino Progresando’s 2020 MEXtalks, the University of Illinois Chicago’s Speaking Anarcha’s Name; The Mercantile Library (Cincinnati); and multiple community-based events including the Silver Room Block Party and National Period Day. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, WBEZ (NPR), WVON/The Kendall Moore Show, and ABC7 Chicago and other major Chicago TV news stations. Throughout her career, Lesle' has weaved her artistic work within her community leadership. As Executive Director of SEIU’s Hellen Miller Member Education and Training Center, Leslé and her team were able to pivot from 100 percent in-person training classes to a complete online platform successfully training tens of thousands Home Care and Child Care workers during the pandemic. As part of Elevated Chicago's Steering Committee, Lesle' has infused her poetry, art, expertise in youth engagement and leadership style into governance and programming. She convenes the Green Line South Community Table of Elevated, which brings together residents and organizations advancing ETOD in the area. Leslé lives in Chicago with her three children. Her forthcoming Children’s Book, Brown Girl, will be released in 2022 by Little Brown Publishing