About
Leilani Mate (she/her) is a Seattle and Los Angeles-based writer. She is pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Creative Writing and Communication at the University of Southern California, with a minor in Dance. She is a staff writer for Descent Magazine and Haute Magazine, and currently works as the Social Media Intern at the Los Angeles Review of Books.
Leilani is the daughter of a Filipino father and a Swazi mother, both of whom immigrated to Canada, where she was born. She spent her early childhood in Coquitlam, British Columbia, attending French immersion school, writing stories, and training as a competitive gymnast.
In middle school, she moved to Austin, Texas. There, she continued her gymnastics training and earned state, regional, and national titles in power tumbling. In high school, she served as the captain of her dance and drill team. She also received recognition for her visual artwork at statewide competitions.
In 2023, she enrolled as a Communication major in the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. After taking her first college writing workshop, she decided to pursue a second bachelor’s degree in English on the Creative Writing track, with an emphasis in prose.
Since then, her stories have appeared in Descent Magazine and Haute Magazine. She enjoys weaving moments of magic into the mundane through precise, lyrical prose. Some of her literary inspirations include Karen Russell, Aimee Bender, Toni Morrison, and Grace Paley. She loves listening to music, watching movies, and subjecting her friends to her opinions about music and movies.
Leilani’s long-term aspirations include pursuing a graduate degree, publishing a novel, and traveling the world—while capturing it all on her digi cam, of course.
Leilani Mate 