Jim Lecesne

James Lecesne has been telling stories for over 25 years.

His short film, "Trevor," won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short and went on to inspire the founding of The Trevor Project, the only nationwide 24-hour suicide prevention helpline for LGBT and questioning teens. James is also the founder of The After The Storm Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to offering support to community centers in New Orleans that are working with youth and the arts. Following Hurricane Katrina, James organized a group of artists to travel to New Orleans, and he produced the feature length documentary directed by Hilla Medalia. "After The Storm" spotlights the lives and struggles of twelve young adults who are living in the storm-ravaged city.

An actor as well as a writer, Mr. Lecesne’s solo show WORD OF MOUTH was presented Off Broadway by Mike Nichols and Elaine May and directed by Eve Ensler; he was awarded the NY Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for best solo performance as well as the LA Theater Weekly Award. His acting credits include the original NYC production of CLOUD 9 by Caryl Churchill. EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES, written and directed by Eve Ensler, and the 30th anniversary production of BOYS IN THE BAND by Mart Crowley. He also starred in the Pulitzer Prize winning play, I AM MY OWN WIFE at Hartford Stage Company.

As a writer James adapted Armistead Maupin’s FURTHER TALES OF THE CITY as a mini series for SHOWTIME (Emmy nomination) and wrote one of the final episodes of the TV series, WILL & GRACE. He created the stage play, THE ROAD HOME: Stories of the Children of War, a play based on interviews with survivors of wars in Tibet, Bosnia and Cambodia and presented at the International Peace Conference at The Hague. James has taught at The NYU School of Continuing Education, The New School, The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and The New York Film Academy. He was a Distinguished Guest Speaker at The Heller Graduate School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, where his Pro-Seminar “Sharing the Truth: Effective Storytelling for Social Justice Activists” included 30 participants from 11 countries.

His young adult novel, "Absolute Brightness," was published by Harper Collins and was awarded The William Morris Award by the American Librarian Association as well as a nomination by The Lambda Literary Awards. His new novel, "Virgin Territory," was published by Egmont USA in 2010.