I am a journalist based in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. I have been reporting about art and culture for newspapers, magazines and websites since the last millennium. My stories have covered everything from graffiti exhibits to (the art of) presidential elections. 

My article ‘A Parking Lot Birth Story’ was included in the book True Birth: A Compilation of Real Birth Stories. Currently, I am working on my first novel, an odyssey.

I was a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times where I wrote about the arts in Los Angeles and produced the galleries and museums section of The Guide. 

Other journalism adventures have included launching a local news site about Echo Park, editing an online magazine for parents, and working as an editorial consultant for L.A. Youth, a nonprofit newspaper for teens.

I covered the art scene of downtown Los Angeles as a staff writer for the LA Downtown News and edited the online city guide Citysearch. My writing has appeared in the Huffington Post, Eastsider LA, LA Weekly, Fodor’s Travel, LA Citybeat and Whole Life Times. 

I started reporting at the Mountain X-press in Asheville, North Carolina.

Find me on twitter at @lealion.

LEA LION - WRITER

SELECT EXPERIENCES

You Are Here
Author
You are Here is a time-traveling odyssey across the rainbow bridge and through states of mind in the days before the legalization of cannabis — this book is not for kids!

Hay House Publishing
Copyeditor and writer
Copyedited a series of books for Hay House publishing, edited audio interviews with authors and wrote author introductions for the Hay House website

True Birth
Contributing Writer
‘A Parking Lot Birth Story,’ which originally ran in the Huffington Post, was included in the book True Birth: A Compilation of Real Birth Stories published in 2014

Echo Park Patch
Local Editor
Launched a local news site about the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Wrote and edited stories about everything from breaking news to local politics to street art

L.A. Youth
Editorial Consultant
Created the blog ‘Don’t Print That!’ for L.A. Youth, a nonprofit newspaper written by, for and about teenagers. Advised editorial staff about using social media as a tool to reach the public

Los Angeles Times
Staff Writer
Wrote articles about art in Los Angeles, including a piece about the art of the strip mall. Produced the weekly Galleries and Museums section of The Guide (RIP)

Los Angeles Downtown News
Staff Writer
Covered art in downtown Los Angeles, including MOCA exhibits, LA Opera performances, shows at the Ahmanson and Taper and the ever-changing local gallery scene

Mountain Xpress
Reporter
Wrote features about local bands, artists and events for the Mountain Xpress, the alt-weekly newspaper for Asheville, North Carolina

Drumwordspokenbeat
Co-founder
Created a space for spoken word poetry, live performance and music

EDUCATION

Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois
Master of Journalism, September 2003

Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
Bachelor of Arts, May 1997