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Over the years, Leighann has taught Stand-Up Comedy Boot Camp classes helping aspiring comedians find their funny and giving them the confidence to share it on stage. She has done classes at the World Famous Comic Strip, The Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop and the Legendary Apollo Theater. She also does one-on-one private comedy coaching.
Leighann is the author of Dict Jokes: Alternate Definitions for Words You’ve Probably Never Heard of But Will Definitely Never Forget, Volumes 1 & 2. Readers have said, “If you like words, this is a funny book!” and “Leighann Lord's comedy is as smart as it is funny, and this book is a great representation of that. It's worth much more than the cost!” Leighann’s latest book, Real Women Do It Standing Up: Stories From the Career of a Very Funny Lady, has been called “Witty and unexpectedly vulnerable. Guaranteed laughs and wistful smiles. Perfection.”
She is the creator of the blog and podcast, People with Parents, where she writes and talks about suddenly being the caretaker of two elderly parents, which is severely cutting into her regularly scheduled midlife crisis.
Leighann has been seen on ABC, AspireTV, BBC, CBC, Comedy Comedy, Gospel Music Channel, HBO, Lifetime TV, NBC, SiTV and VH1. She has been a co-host on NiteShift (WBAI Radio, NYC) and the Emmy-nominated StarTalk (Radio & NatGeo) with astrophysicist, Dr. Neil de Grasse Tyson.
Leighann has been featured in numerous media outlets including Time Out New York, The New York Daily News and Mel Watkins’ book On the Real Side: A History of African-American Comedy. She received the NYC Black Comedy Award for “The Most Thought Provoking Black Female Comic.” Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., named her one of the Northeast Region’s Significant Seven for her contribution in the field of entertainment. And for two consecutive years, Leighann was Harlem Week’s official comedian. (The only other comedian in Harlem Week’s history to earn that distinction was Richard Pryor.)
Her goal is to inspire and entertain.
LEIGHANN'S MOST POPULAR SPEAKING TOPIC

When Your Empty Nest Smells Like Bengay and Mothballs
What do you do when your parents need parenting? People are living longer and medicine is curing less. Adult children, still deep in their careers, or just starting to daydream about retirement, are finding themselves in a Freaky Friday role reversal they may not be prepared for. (So much for the empty nest.) Maybe your parents are fine, but there may come a time when they’re not. Then what?
With heart and humor this lively presentation will explore the tools you need (and may already have and just don’t know) to help you handle one of life’s biggest twists including:
1. Getting Help
2. Managing Their Health (And Yours)
3. Prioritizing Self Care
4. Developing Empathy
5. Picking Your Battles
6. Looking for the Life Lessons
Attendees will take away concrete ideas to help them manage this unique type of work/life balance. This topic includes Leighann's Resource Guide for caregivers.

The Fun & Frustration of the English Language;
A Guide to Using Words Goodly
Do you have a love/hate relationship with English? Are you annoyed by acronyms? Humbled by homonyms? Does punctuation make you panic? You’re not alone. First words, last words, magic words, bad words. Logophile (word lover), Leighann Lord, takes attendees on a fun frolic through the land of word nerdery, exploring the power that language has to hurt and heal; entertain and inspire. And why sometimes, even for professional speakers and writers, our communication efforts can fail. But fear not! In this fun refresher, Leighann will show you:
- The importance of text, tone and body language
- Why subtext and context matter
- Why autocorrect is not your friend
- Why you should not ignore Microsoft Word's "red" and "green" lines
- The 3 things you should do before you hit send
- The most important question to ask before you hit send
- 5 great resources literally at your fingertips
Attendees will takeaway a renewed appreciation for the English language and concrete tools on how to use it mo' better.
A PARTIAL LIST OF CLIENTS
Keynote Speaker
National Society of Newspaper Columnists New York Society for Ethical Culture Oxford Scholars Program at Emory University Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Temple University Emcee Northeast Conference on Science & Skepticism Queens Borough Public Library Unite Women - New York Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership |
Panelist & Moderator
Brooklyn Museum Center for Inquiry Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop Museum of the Moving Image New York University Workshops Apollo Theater Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop The World Famous Comic Strip |
National Society of Newspaper Columnists Conference
"Everyone in NSNC are huge fans of Leighann Lord. She not only surprised us with a funny, smart, and educational (covfefe, defined) speech, she stuck around to spend extra time with us - which NSNC members love! L. Smith
Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop | University of Dayton

- Marti Benson Smith
"One of the funniest and most inspirational speakers!"
- Katie Hamlin
"Funny, insightful, brilliant.”
@SamaraSpeaks
“Leighann Lord was flawless in conveying wit, universal resonance, laughter, profound insight.
She is the epitome of grace and a wicked sense of humor.”
- The Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop
Oxford Scholars at Emory University
MORE PRAISE FOR LEIGHANN LORD
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About Leighann the Speaker

Leighann is the author of Dict Jokes: Alternate Definitions for Words You’ve Probably Never Heard of But Will Definitely Never Forget, Volumes 1 & 2. Readers have said, “If you like words, this is a funny book!” and “Leighann Lord's comedy is as smart as it is funny, and this book is a great representation of that. It's worth much more than the cost!” Leighann’s latest book, Real Women Do It Standing Up: Stories From the Career of a Very Funny Lady, has been called “Witty and unexpectedly vulnerable. Guaranteed laughs and wistful smiles. Perfection.”
She is the creator of the blog and podcast, People with Parents, where she writes and talks about suddenly being the caretaker of two elderly parents, which is severely cutting into her regularly scheduled midlife crisis.
Leighann has been seen on ABC, AspireTV, BBC, CBC, Comedy Comedy, Gospel Music Channel, HBO, Lifetime TV, NBC, SiTV and VH1. She has been a co-host on NiteShift (WBAI Radio, NYC) and the Emmy-nominated StarTalk (Radio & NatGeo) with astrophysicist, Dr. Neil de Grasse Tyson.
Leighann has been featured in numerous media outlets including Time Out New York, The New York Daily News and Mel Watkins’ book On the Real Side: A History of African-American Comedy. She received the NYC Black Comedy Award for “The Most Thought Provoking Black Female Comic.” Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., named her one of the Northeast Region’s Significant Seven for her contribution in the field of entertainment. And for two consecutive years, Leighann was Harlem Week’s official comedian. (The only other comedian in Harlem Week’s history to earn that distinction was Richard Pryor.)