BIO
Leena Norms is a poet, vlogger and presenter. She has amassed over 25 million views on her YouTube channel and was named Book Vlogger of the Year by London Book Fair in 2020. She was shortlisted for the Bookshop.org 2022 Indie Champions Award and for the Best BookTuber prize at the 2022 Blogosphere Awards. Additionally Leena received the London Book Fair Trailblazer Award in 2019 and the Bookseller Rising Star Award in 2016 for her online book campaigns.
In 2022 Leena published her debut poetry collection ‘Bargain Bin Rom-Com’ (Burning Eye Books).
Known for her candid words and infectious energy, Leena crafts videos about poetry, politics, persevering in your twenties, the power of books, practical fashion and protecting the planet.
Leena has previously worked with Icon Books, Pan Macmillan, Telegraph Books, Penguin Random House and produced the Vintage Books podcast. She has been named an official YouTube Creator for Change for her online campaigning and has collaborated with the European Commission, Royal Historic Palaces, the U.S. Embassy London, NHS, the Man Booker Prize, Vice and BBC 3. Leena has had her work featured in Cosmopolitan, Grazia, Refinery 29 and many more. Additionally, she has given talks and lectures about the publishing industry at universities such as: University of Warwick, Aberystwyth University, University of Cambridge, Cardiff University and Manchester Metropolitan University.
authors interviewed
Carol Ann Duffy · Yuval Noah Harari · Ian McEwan · Caitlin Moran · Simon Amstell · Gina Miller · Jackie Kay · Laura Dockrill · George Miller · Afua Hirsch · Jess Phillips · Meg Wolitzer · Jen Campbell · Rachel Kushner · Anna James · Richard Powers · Daisy Johnson · Helena Kennedy · Anna Kessel · Angie Thomas · Juno Dawson · Andrew Mcmillan · Alison Bechdel · Don Patterson · Cerys Matthews · Helen Mort · Nikita Gill · Holly Jackson · Jasper Fforde · Sarah Winman · Monique Roffey · Karla Neblett
panels & speaking
THE SOCIETY OF AUTHORS
• Demystifying Publishing (Speaker, 2024)
THE GOOD CLOTHES SHOW, NEC
• Poetry reading (Performer, 2024)
RESONATE FESTIVAL
• An evening with Ruth Jones (Chair, 2023)
VINTAGE BOOKS
• A Celebration of Love: Nikita Gill, Leo Boix & Andrew McMillan on Love Poetry (Chair, 2023)
WRITING WEST MIDLANDS
• Careers with Words panel (Panellist, 2023)
• Young Writers' Toolkit panel (Panellist, 2023)
TANDEM COLLECTIVE
• Tandem x Indie Publishers (Chair, 2023)
• Rock the Boat virtual showcase (Chair, 2022)
• Tandem & Electric Monkey - Rock The Boat showcase (Chair, 2021)
HARPERCOLLINS
• Exclusive Online Event with Holly Jackson (Chair, 2022)
• Online panel with the authors of ‘Blackout’ (Chair, 2021)
THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION
• Interview with Irenosen Okojie (Chair, 2022)
NEW WRITING NORTH AND ENGLISH PEN
• Turn Up For The Books panel (Panellist, 2022)
BARGAIN BIN ROM-COM POETRY TOUR (2022)
• Latitude Festival
• Cheltenham Literature Festival
• Greenbelt Festival
• Also Festival
• London Book Fair
• University of Birmingham
• Manchester MET University
• Bristol Trinity Centre
• Waterstones, Aberystwyth
• The Bookshop on the Green, Birmingham
NATIONAL WRITERS CONFERENCE
• Marketing Yourself as a Writer panel (Panellist, 2022)
• Social Media for Writers panel (Panellist, 2019)
• Getting Your Work Heard panel (Panellist, 2019)
CHELTENHAM LITERATURE FESTIVAL
• Celebrating 10 years of Burning Eye Books showcase (Performer, 2022)
• Debuts and Mocktails (Chair, 2022)
• Imposter Syndrome workshop (Speaker, 2021)
CREATIVE COALITION FESTIVAL
• Soda Presents: Breaking In panel (Panellist, 2021 & 2022)
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
• Climate change and poetry lecture (Speaker, 2022)
• Literature and the Climate Crisis talk (for Trinity College Literary Society) (Speaker, 2022)
MANCHESTER MET UNIVERSITY
• Tattoo’s, art and imposter syndrome talk (Speaker, 2022)
WARWICK CLIMATE ALLIANCE
• Climate Justice Rally Leamington Spa (Speaker, 2022)
ABERYSTWYTH UNIVERSITY
• Your Career in Publishing lecture (Speaker, 2019 & 2022)
GREENBELT FESTIVAL
• How to Consume the News While Staying Sane talk (Speaker, 2022)
• Digital Busking: Crowdfunding, Online Community And Making Art in the New Economy talk (Speaker, 2022)
• Reclaiming Histories talk (Chair, 2018)
BBC Arts and Arts Council England
• Panel with Monique Roffey, Sarah Winman and Karla Neblett (Chair, 2021)
WINTERNACHTEN FESTIVAL
• Writing Climate (Injustice) (Panellist, 2021)
• Farmer's Great-Grandaughter poem (Performer, 2021)
STUDIO 3 ARTS
• A Week of Trans Visibility panel (Chair, 2021)
GOOGLE / YOUTUBE
• Creator 360 panel (Chair, 2021)
AUTOMATTIC (WORDPRESS / TUMBLR)
• Navigating Imposter Syndrome talk (Speaker, 2021)
FEMTHINKDO
• Being a remote creative: a workshop with Leena Norms (Speaker, 2021)
NATIONAL POETRY DAY
• 24 Hour Live Lock In on Instagram Live (Host, 2020)
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
• Identifying and Encouraging Prosocial Behaviour on Social Media lecture (Speaker, 2020)
NATIONAL CENTRE FOR WRITING
• Creating an Online Prescence for your Writing workshop (Speaker, 2020)
WOLVERHAMPTON UNIVERSITY
• Creative Careers Online lecture (Speaker, 2020)
LARMER TREE FESTIVAL
• Do We Need to Read the Classics? panel (Panellist, 2019)
CLEAN PROSE
• In Conversation with Jasper Fforde (Chair, 2019)
• Podcasting on a Shoestring workshop (Speaker, 2019)
LATITUDE FESTIVAL
• In conversation with Deborah Levy (Chair, 2019)
• We Need to Talk About Death panel (Chair, 2019)
• In conversation with Dr Hannah Crichtlow (Chair, 2019)
HACHETTE UK
• The Hormone Diaries: Hannah Witton in conversation (Chair, 2019)
OXFORD PUBLISHING SOCIETY
• The Future of Social Media for Publishers panel (Panellist, 2019)
LONDON PODCAST FESTIVAL
• I'm Not Being Funny But interview with Laura Jane Williams (Chair, 2018)
RUCKUS RETREAT
• How to Survive Your Side Hustle talk (Speaker, 2018)
• Imposter Syndrome talk (Speaker, 2018)
MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY
• How to Create Change Online lecture (Speaker, 2018)
BOOK MARKETING SOCIETY CONFERENCE
• Podcasting for Marketers speech (Speaker, 2018)
INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS GUILD
• How to Sell More Books Through Newspapers speech (Speaker, 2018)
BANGING BOOK CLUB
• Live with Juno Dawson (Speaker, 2017)
• Live at the YouTube space, London (Speaker, 2017)
• Live at Summer in the City (Speaker, 2016)
SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL CONFERENCE
• Commissioned poetry performance screening (Performer, 2016)
STOKE NEWINGTON LITERARY FESTIVAL
• BookTube and Online Book Reviewing panel (Panellist, 2016)
ITV NEWS
• LeadersLive debate (Speaker, 2016)
GREENWICH LITERARY FESTIVAL
• How to Start a BookTube Channel panel (Panellist, 2016)
SUMMER IN THE CITY
• Mental Health panel (Chair, 2016)
• BookTube panel (Panellist, 2015)
• Calling People Out Online panel (Panellist, 2015)
WARWICK UNIVERSITY
• Your Career in Publishing lecture (Speaker, 2015)
LONDON BOOK FAIR
• How to Work with BookTubers panel (Panellist, 2014)