Leigh Ann Henion is the New York Times bestselling author of Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark (2024) and Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventurer’s Search for Wonder in the Natural World (2015). Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Smithsonian, Backpacker, Garden & Gun, National Geographic, Men’s Journal, and a variety of other publications. Her essays and articles have been cited as notable in The Best American Essays, The Best American Travel Writing, The Best American Sports Writing, and The Best American Science & Nature Writing. She is a former Alicia Patterson Fellow, and her work has been supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Night Magic was, in part, inspired by an article Henion wrote for The Washington Post Magazine about synchronous fireflies. After that piece ran, many readers reached out to let her know that they’d started turning off their porch lights more often, and she was amazed that her story had inspired real-world action that led to reduced light pollution. Henion subsequently spent several years in the company of owls, moths, salamanders, and other nocturnal creatures to explore the importance of natural darkness in an age of increasing artificial light.
The Wall Street Journal called Night Magic, “lovely…truly inspired…and very clever.” In a starred review, Kirkus said, “Henion writes with poetic grace.” And Publishers Weekly reported, “Henion’s greatest gift is her ability to evoke the sense of wonder that follows from tuning in to the natural world. This will fill readers with awe.” Henion aims to continually inspire awe, both in person and on the page.
“Leigh Ann Henion is as dynamic in person as she is on the page—and that is really saying something. During her time on campus, she enchanted both students and the community at large. She has a bold and exciting presence.” — Appalachian State University