Lois Leveen dwells in the spaces where literature and history meet. Her first novel, The Secrets of Mary Bowser, is based on the true story of a woman who was born into slavery, freed and sent north to be educated, but returned to the South to become a Union spy by posing as a slave in the Confederate White House. A confirmed book geek, Lois earned degrees in history and literature from Harvard, the University of Southern California, and UCLA, and taught at both UCLA and Reed College. She is a regular contributor to Disunion, the New York Times coverage of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, and her poetry and essays have appeared in numerous books, literary journals, magazine, and on NPR. Lois gives talks about literature, history, and art at museums, libraries, schools, bookstores, and conferences throughout the country. She is currently at work on a new novel and developing a guide for teaching he Secrets of Mary Bowser in colleges and high schools. A New Yorker by birth and Oregonian by choice, Lois lives in a bright green house in Portland and can frequently be seen riding around town on her leopard-print bicycle, accessorized for safety with a leopard-ear helmet.