LeRon L. Barton is a writer from Kansas City, Missouri currently living in San Diego, CA. A graduate of Paseo Academy of Fine Arts, LeRon is the author of two books, Straight Dope: A 360 degree look into American Drug Culture and All We Really Need Is Love: Stories of Dating, Relationships, Heartbreak, and Marriage. In addition to his books, LeRon is an essayist whose topics cover racism, mass incarceration, politics, gender, and dating.  These works have appeared in Black Enterprise, Salon, Harvard Business Review, The Good Men Project, Your Tango, Media Diversity, Raconteur, Elephant Journal, East Bay Times, and MoAD. 

LeRon is an international speaker who has given four TEDx speeches and has appeared at Al Jazeera, the University of San Francisco, Navis, Speakers Who Dare, Nas Dubai, Glide Memorial Church, The City of Cupertino, Los Altos Chamber of Commerce, Square, and Defy Ventures. In his spare time, LeRon enjoys mentoring African-American youth, teaching Creative Writing at the San Francisco County Jail, and backpacking around the world.