author
Leslie Perri
1920–1970
An early science fiction fan, writer, and illustrator, this overlooked Futurian helped shape the lively fan culture that fed the genre’s Golden Age. Best known today for the story "Space Episode," she also left her mark as an artist, editor, and sharp voice in fandom.
1 Audiobook
Under the Skin
by Leslie Perri
About the author
Born Doris Marie Claire "Doë" Baumgardt in Brooklyn on April 27, 1920, Leslie Perri was the pen name she used as she became active in New York science fiction fandom. She joined the Science Fiction League and then the Futurians, the influential group that included many future giants of the field.
Perri worked across several corners of the genre world: she wrote fiction, created illustrations, edited fanzines, and took part in the intense, argumentative fan culture of the late 1930s and 1940s. Her best-known story, "Space Episode," appeared in 1941 and was later brought back to new readers through Library of America’s The Future Is Female project.
Her life also connected her to major figures in science fiction history, including marriages to Frederik Pohl and later Richard Wilson. Though her published fiction was limited, Leslie Perri remains a memorable presence in early American science fiction for the energy, wit, and artistic range she brought to fandom and the wider field.