Leslie Papp is an award-winning poet living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, whose work is rooted in community, collaboration, and a lifelong devotion to language. She began writing as a pre-teen growing up in central Illinois, where poetry first became both a refuge and a way of paying close attention to the world around her. That early passion has since grown into a creative practice that spans poetry, songwriting, and arts advocacy.

Leslie’s poems have been widely shared and celebrated on community social media platforms, where her work resonates for its emotional clarity, musicality, and human warmth. In addition to poetry she is a lyricist and songwriter blending poetic craft with contemporary music.

Deeply committed to nurturing young voices, Leslie spent more than fifteen years volunteering with youth theatre programs, supporting creativity and self expression in the next generation of artists. She continues to serve her local literary community as a member of the Poet Laureate Committee at the Grand Rapids Public Library and as an active member of the Grand River Poetry Collective.

Whether on the page, the stage, or in collaboration, Leslie’s work reflects a belief in art as a connection–and in words as a living, shared experience.