News

Laura spoke in New York City on Friday, September 26 at Earth (49 Orchard Street) at 7 PM, and this special event was a spectacular success! Hosted by Heavy Traffic Magazine, it included readings from the JT LeRoy books by writer/poet Meg Superstar Princess and Heavy Traffic’s editor Peter McGraw. Laura also had an in-depth conversation with Peter, read an excerpt of her forthcoming memoir, and answered questions from the audience. And here’s the video of that magical night:

Our thanks go out to everyone who helped make this evening possible!

On April 28, 2025, Laura was invited to give a special talk at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. She was a guest speaker in the Genders, Sexualities, and Ethnicities Lecture Series, an event co-sponsored by the Genders and Sexualities Alliance and the Lytton Center for History and the Public Good.

Hosted by Professor August Hu Samie, her talk centered on her acclaimed novel SARAH and the nature of her avatar JT LeRoy; it also covered a range of topics, including gender identity and fluidity, American literary traditions, poetry, different forms of music, changes in cultural trends, and how we can tap into our creativity no matter the field.

Laura wants to express her gratitude once again to Prof. Samie, all the students who attended her talk, and everyone at Ohlone College who made this event possible.

We’re delighted to announce that Laura has been invited to headline Storyfort – the literary branch of this year’s Treefort Festival in Boise, Idaho. She will be a featured guest at three different events. The first is at Storyfort on Friday, March 28, 5–7 PM MDT at This Is The Place, Volume 3 (Night Two). She will be reading an excerpt from her forthcoming memoir, alongside noted authors Nathan Dragon, Brian Allen Carr, Kayla Jean, Peter Vack, Calvin Cummings, Lamb, Sammy Loren, Francesca Kritikos, and Graham Irvin. This reading will happen at the Ochos Cocktail & Wine Bar, 515 W Idaho Street. The next day, Saturday March 29, Laura will be signing books from 11 to 11:45 AM at Rediscovered Books, 180 N 8th Street. After that she’ll be whisked to the Idaho State Museum, 610 Julia Davis Drive, for a third event from 12 to 1:30 PM: “An Afternoon with Laura Albert aka JT LeRoy,” in which she’ll be interviewed by Peter Vack and Christian Winn. Author, director, and actor Vack will also deliver a JT LeRoy story, and Laura will read a second memoir excerpt. There will be plenty of books, penis bones, and “written by JT LeRoy” caps, so please do come join us!

We’re delighted to present these two videos of Laura in conversation with two authors, which were held at San Francisco bookstores. At Booksmith, Laura had an engaging talk with acclaimed novelist Mona Awad; at Green Apple Books, she had a lively discussion with memoirist Kate Flannery.

Mona Awad was proclaimed by Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale) as her “literary heir apparent” in an article published in The New York Times Style Magazine. The author of 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, All’s Well, Bunny, and most recently Rouge, Awad spoke about the themes of horror and witchcraft which characterize her fiction, as well as the role of fashion and conformity in her work.

Laura’s talk with Kate Flannery was for the paperback release of Strip Tees, Flannery’s account of her time with the controversial clothing company American Apparel. Topics discussed include the treatment – and exploitation – of employees and models.

Many thanks to Mona Awad and Kate Flannery, as well as the beloved bookstores that made these evenings possible and everybody who attended!

“LeRoy’s The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things could be described as the literary equivalent of ‘Teen Spirit.'” So wrote Peter Murphy in a memorable piece for Hot Press in 2004, which celebrated the 10th anniversary of Nirvana’s final concert. He interviewed Butch Vig, who produced not only Nirvana’s smash-hit album Nevermind (1991) but also co-produced the classic Garbage LP Beautiful Garbage (2001), which included their JT LeRoy anthem “Cherry Lips”. You can read Peter Murphy’s full article HERE.

On November 1, 2023, Laura celebrated her birthday a day early by attending the “Hidden Palace” literary series at Fadensonnen in Baltimore and sharing an excerpt from her forthcoming memoir. And we have a special video of that moment for you! Here is Laura reading the chapter “Sweet November”:

Laura has two special speaking engagements coming up, and we’re hoping you’ll be able to join her!

The first will be in Los Angeles on Friday October 6. Laura will appear at Stories Books & Cafe, 1716 West Sunset Blvd. at 7 PM, hosting a special event with writer Kate Flannery. They’ll be discussing Kate’s new book Strip Tees, a hypnotically devastating and unexpectedly funny memoir of her days working for American Apparel. Following the event, there’ll be a Q&A and signing of Strip Tees, SARAH, and The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.

The second talk will happen on Wednesday November 1 in Baltimore at Fadensonnen, 3 West 23rd Street at 7 PM. To celebrate her birthday on the 2nd, she’ll be giving a reading as part of the “Hidden Palace” series organized by writers Ashleigh Phillips and Joseph Grantham and the staff at Remington’s Greedy Reads bookstore.

Don’t miss these two exciting events!

On January 22, 2023, Laura spoke with actor/photographer Brooke Smith at the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library, in celebration of Smith’s book Sunday Matinee, an extensive photo documentation of the New York City Hardcore scene of the 1980s.

This event was part of a series that brings together “acclaimed female authors” (San Francisco Examiner), to discuss their work, and Folio Books sold copies of Brooke and Laura’s books, which they signed – be sure to keep on supporting your local indie bookstore!

You can read Laura and Brooke Smith speaking to Joshua Rotter and 48 Hills about that amazing ’80s scene in NYC HERE.

Laura had the honor of serving as a judge for Diane Pernet’s ASVOFF 14.

Katia Kulawick-Assante and Laura present the award for Best Acting to Olivia Wilde for the film ALGORITHM by Matthew Frost:

So many cutting-edge fashion innovators were present for ASVOF 14. Here’s Laura with two of them:

Our respect and thanks to all who contributed!