Leslie Hsu Oh (pronouns she/her) is an award-winning writer and photographer. Her work has been named among the distinguished stories of the year by Best American Essays, the Lowell Thomas Awards, North American Travel Journalists Association, Travelers’ Tales Solas Awards for Best Travel Writing and more. Her writing and photography appears in Alpinist, Backpacker, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic, Outside, Parents, Saveur, Smithsonian, Travel + Leisure, Vogue, Washington Post, and elsewhere. She has a degree in biology, ethnobotany, MFA in creative nonfiction and public health from Harvard. She was also named White House Champions of Change for Asian American and Pacific islander Art and Storytelling. Leslie began teaching creative writing at the university level in 2007. She has also taught for 49 Writing Center, Anchorage School District, Advanced Academy Writing Institute, Kachemak Bay Writers’ Conference, and Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare.
“Leslie Hsu Oh is one of the most innovative outdoor writers today,” says former Editor-in-Chief, Katie Ives of the Alpinist. “Her prose style has a combination of spare lyricism, perfect rhythm and sensory power that seems almost like magic, bringing her readers fully into the worlds she re-creates.”
LESLIE HSU OH’s CLASSES
STUDENT REVIEWS
“Amanda, Jessica, and Leslie bring an abundance of experience and knowledge to the Travel Writing I course. Their collective expertise continues to help me become a more skilled storyteller and mindful traveler. Thank you so much, ladies!” — Wanda Duncan
“Thank you Amanda, Jessica, and Leslie! You are all AWESOME. Hope to stay in touch!” — survey response
“I’ve witnessed Ms. Oh help students gain confidence, articulate ideas, acquire strategies, and learn the skills to effectively navigate their own writing process. She has the ability to offer insightful feedback without forcing her opinions about how a student should develop a piece. This gift is a reflection of her philosophy as writer and a writing teacher: the ultimate control of a piece belongs to the author, and the best education occurs when a student is fully engaged in their own process. Her ability to engage her students in critical thinking makes her invaluable as an educator.” — Mary Harris, President, Sigma Tau Delta, English Honor Society and Editor of Understory
“Leslie Hsu Oh was my first [Creative Writing and Lit Arts] teacher and she cares so much about her students, making them just as much of a part of the class as the books we have to buy. I have taken this class twice now and it continues to be the best I have ever chosen to take.” — anonymous comment, Introduction to Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage
“Loved this class. We had an awesome instructor, great material to read from. Also, Leslie’s relationship with other writers and their willingness to visit our class was a wonderful and rare experience.” — anonymous comment, Introduction to Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage
“The greatest thing this class has taught me is the value of criticism. Reading the comments of my peers and teacher has helped me to grow as a writer this semester. It isn’t very often that you get weekly feedback on your writing! I learned so much!” — anonymous comment, Introduction to Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage
“I have learned from this class how to inform myself as a writer. I have become more open and vocal about what I want to do. This has led those whom I trust and respect in my life giving me information too. I experienced joy I haven’t felt in decades because I was putting action to my dream.” — anonymous comment, Introduction to Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage
“I learned so many things, technique, the voice of innocence, the voice of experience, how to describe… Each assignment gave me something new to apply to my writing. I was able to explore my creativity and give new styles of writing a go. I learned a great deal about dialogue writing and it amazes me how much emotion and life you bring to a story with just a conversation.
“I didn’t think a web-based course would have provided as much ‘hands-on learning’ as it did. [Leslie Hsu Oh was] there every step of the way to walk us through the assignments, and I am very grateful for that.” — anonymous comment, Introduction to Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage
“I love this course and the teacher, and I would take it again if I had the means! I learned an incredible amount.” — anonymous comment, Introduction to Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage
“Thank you for offering this class. I learned an almost overwhelming amount of information regarding creative writing, including how to develop characters, plots, paint a scene, and even how to sell my works.” — anonymous comment, Introduction to Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage
“My writing has really been elevated because of this class and has also given me a new view on the world of writing. In some strange way this has made my whole college experience a lot more enjoyable than it was before.” — anonymous comment, Introduction to Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage
“I really like the fact [Leslie Hsu Oh] covered many different exercises because we are all on different levels of writing. All of comments on my posts from the other classmates really helped me with my revisions. I feel a second set of eyes and suggestions are more than beneficial to writing. This has been a wonderful and enjoyable class. Thank you!” — anonymous comment, Introduction to Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage
“This class was worth the money for both tuition and books. That is the first time I have been able to say that. I have loved other classes, but not continued to study the subject afterwards. I will continue to in this field because of this class.” — anonymous comment, Introduction to Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage