“Have a plan A, and then a plan B”

Adrian LeBlanc

“This is a lucky business that lets you learn about the world,” Adriane Nicole LeBlanc shared to a room of aspiring journalists “I felt very at one with the world.” Leblanc was the source of infatuation of everyone in attendance to her reading at the Newman Library Conference Room on March 22^nd.

Random Family, Published in 2003

LeBlancs wittiness and humor towards the serious matters she addresses in her book, “Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble and Coming of Age in the Bronx,” helped keep the mood light and the crowd intrigued to find out about the lives of LeBlancs subjects within the book. The story follows the lives of two young girls named Jessica and Coco and documents their trials and tribulations of growing up in the ghetto. Leblanc described it as a “chronicle of extended family living in poverty, but in my heart of hearts, it’s a love story.”

LeBlanc provided insightful advice continuously to the young crowd. She described journalism as a long apprenticeship. She insisted that it takes a long time for every journalist to find their voice. “The world is coming in through you. I used to say, in order to receive more of the world, you have to take yourself out of it, but now, I feel you have to do an inventory of yourself first.” LeBlanc serves as an inspiration for young writers everywhere. She shows that you can successfully execute having an opinion about the world around you, no matter how long it takes for you to get there.