About Leah

Leah Broyde Abrahams

Leah Broyde Abrahams is a sociologist by training and a gregarious collector of stories by avocation. After a successful career conducting market research and program evaluation for diverse organizations in both the public and for-profit sectors, Leah now combines her natural affinity for people with the professional interviewing skills she honed as a researcher to help individuals articulate and preserve their family stories. Over the past decade, she has produced more than two dozen memoirs in book or video format for clients in the U.S. and abroad through her publishing company, Mixed Media Memoirs LLC.

Leah has always been the “go-to writer” for work colleagues, family and friends.  Two events stimulated her active interest in personal history. The first was an opportunity to produce a series of oral history “how-to” manuals for teachers in grades K-12.  The three grade-appropriate manuals were distributed and used by public and private schools in Northeastern Wisconsin, and an archive to store the children’s projects was also established.

Several years later, Leah found that an unexpected opportunity to edit a friend’s memoir fully engaged her both creatively and intellectually and led her to fully appreciate the importance of family history—to the narrator, to the family and to the public. That experience prompted her to establish Mixed Media Memoirs in 2004.

Leah’s training and experience in interviewing on sensitive topics, volunteer work in the community with people of all backgrounds and cultures and passion for people and photography allow her to offer a highly enjoyable experience — and polished, professional end product — to her clients. Her books have won endorsements from notables such as Mother Teresa, His Highness the Dalai Lama, Pulitzer Prize-winners Joseph J. Ellis and Jack Miles, Emmy-winner videographer Ken Burns, Helen Gurley Brown, Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan magazine.  A number of her books have won national recognition and awards.

Leah was born and raised in Chicago.  After earning a B.A. in Psychology at Northwestern University, she completed an M.A. in Medical Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Leah is a member of the Association of Personal Historians. She has held leadership positions in a variety of community non-profits and has also been active in interfaith projects.

On a personal note, Leah has two adult children and four grandchildren. She recently moved to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts after living in Green Bay, Wisconsin for many years. She loves traveling — to clients, to new places, to see the world — and always has a camera to record these experiences. Her fine art and travel photographs have won recognition in international competitions and she has had several one-woman shows. One of her photographs is in the permanent collection of the Neville Public Museum in Green Bay, WI and others are in private and corporate collections.

Member, Association of Personal Historians

Member: Association of Personal Historians
Member: Independent Book Publishers Association
Member: Women in Photography International

What authors say

From-Philadelphia-to-the-Battle-of-the-Bulge“The day that I contacted Leah Abrahams about my book project was a lucky day for me! She is extremely knowledgeable about publishing, and her advice and skill enabled me to complete the book. Her assistance, from helping to plan the appropriate layouts to arranging for endorsements, has been invaluable, and I heartily recommend her to all aspiring writers!”

—Donna Borrelli Long, author of From Philadelphia to the Battle of the Bulge

Ethel-Merman-Mother-Teresa-and-Me_200w“Leah Abrahams was essential in putting together all aspects of my book including a beautiful cover for, Ethel Merman Mother Teresa… and Me which became a 2014 International Book Awards finalist. Her encouragement and knowledge is something I will always be grateful for. She was also a joy to work with.”

—Tony Cointreau

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