Della Leavitt

DELLA LEAVITT

WRITER

BIO

Della Leavitt's debut historical novel Vivian's Decision will be published by She Writes Press on April 14, 2026.

This multi-generational family saga takes place in 1956 in Chicago when Vivian Jacobson, an overwhelmed mother of four, is distraught to be pregnant again and grapples with having an abortion. During this time she learns family secrets including how her immigrant mother sought an abortion when pregnant with her.

AWARDS:

2022. Semi-Finalist. Soon to Be Famous Manuscript project, Illinois Librarians. Beyond Maxwell Street.

2021. Individual Artist Program grant from Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).

2021. Newberry Library. Short-term fellowship.

2020. 2nd Place. "Penicillin," in the Off Campus Writers' Workshop flash fiction contest judged by author,and poet Kathleen Rooney who wrote: "The density of information in this piece of historical fiction is balanced beautifully by the intimate characterization of the unlikely hero showing us how fate and timing have their way with us all."

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Della Leavitt's unpublished novel, The Measure of a Teacher is the story of a white high school teacher who struggles unsuccessfully to advocate for a Black student who is pushed out before graduation.

04 PUBLICATIONs

ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS

Leavitt, Della (June, 2024). "Hannah's Pledge." In Feisty Deeds: Daring Women across Six Centuries.

Leavitt, Della (April, 2023). "On Squirrels & Other Interlopers" (pp. 95-103). In Meaningful Conflicts: The Art of Friction. Windy City Publishers.

Leavitt, Della (2023). "Chicago's writing community: Nurturing new voices." About Write. https://ocww.info/About-Write?p=chicago-writing-community-nurturing-new-voices

Leavitt, Della. (May, 2022). "The Necklace" in FreeFlashFiction. https://freeflashfiction.com/fiction/the-necklace/

Leavitt, Della. (2021). "Repeal!" (pp. 99-107). In Turning Points: An Anthology from Members of the Off Campus Writers’ Workshop. Windy City Publishers.

Leavitt, Della. (October, 2020). Chicago Literary Hall of Fame guest blogger.

https://chicagoliteraryhof.org/blog/entry/persistence-at-the-3rd-annual-virtual-storystudio -conference

Leavitt, Della (August, 2020). GameChangers documentary film. Personal essay contest winner. https://www.gamechangers.film/contest
"Remembering the Marshall vs. New Trier match-ups."

Leavitt, Della. (2019). "The Week That Was" (pp. 100-105). In J. Rehak (ed.) A Reason to Be Here. A collaborative novel from the Off Campus Writers'

Workshop. Windy City Publishers.

Leavitt, D.R. (2017). "Where I am from," Vitae Scholasticae: The Journal of Educational Biography. Special Issue: Family Methodology. 34(2), 28-31.

Leavitt, Della. (2017). Honorable Mention. Prose. "The Return of the 17-Year Locusts," InWord of Art 3: InPrint Writers, Rockford, IL.

Leavitt, D.R., Palius, M.F., Babst, R.D, Donegan, R., Lampkin, J.L, Smith, M., & Whitford, P.A. (2013).

Teachers create a Professional Learning Community to be a place of their own. Mid-Atlantic Education Review, 1(1)3-16.

Leavitt, D. R. & Washington, E. N. (2013). “I teach like you are all gifted:" Leading lowest-track students to become confident mathematics learners. In A. Cohan & A. Honigsfeld (Eds.), Breaking the mold of education: Innovative and successful practices for student

engagement, empowerment, and motivation (4th in a series) pp. 171-178. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Leavitt, D. R. (2010). Inquiry as Stance: Practitioner Research for the Next Generation, Book review. i.e: inquiry in education, 1(2), Article 7. Retrieved from: http://digitalcommons.nl.edu/ie/vol1/iss2/7

Leavitt, D.R. (2010). (Unpublished dissertation). "Meek, but Not Weak!" A Resilient Black Female Mathematics Teacher Composes a Purposeful Life. University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Education. Proquest, UMI-3417385.