ARTS EDUCATION

Leslie has taught visual and theatrical arts workshops for all ages for many organizations and community groups in the US and internationally since 2001.  Her workshops include many different forms of puppetry (shadow, bunraku, hand-rod, etc.), mask-making, as well as writing, poetry, playwriting, and other theater techniques.  She is a credentialed Special Education teacher and has her MA in Deaf Education as well.

  • Some of the organizations Leslie has given workshops for:
    Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock; Skirball Cultural Center-Museum; Craft and Folk Art Museum; Pacific Asia Museum; Chiang Mai University, Thailand; US Embassy, Montevideo, Uruguay; Neerja Modi Academy, Jaipur, India; Burbank School District; Los Angeles Unified School District; Avenue 50 Studios; Los Angeles Public Library

THE PINK DRESS

THE PINK DRESS, Leslie's children's illustrated book for grades 3 and up about the Japanese American Internment is available for purchase at Xlibris as well as on Amazon and Barnes and Noble's sites.  Based on an incident from Leslie's mother's experience as a young junior high schooler interned during World War 2, the book presents themes of individuality in the face of racism and standing up for justice in a way accessible for many younger and older kids.

In March of 2021, a community reading of THE PINK DRESS was held on Zoom by members of Centenary United Methodist Church, one of the oldest Japanese American churches in Los Angeles, to remember the signing of Executive Order 9066 that sanctioned the incarceration of 120,00 people of Japanese descent by the United States government during World War 2.