Lederer attended the University of California, Berkeley, and was an Iowa Arts Fellow at the Writers' Workshop. She is the author of Winter Sex, a collection of poems, and the former editor of Explosive magazine. She was also the editor of a series of limited edition poetry chapbooks under the Spectacular Books imprint.
Poker Face: A Girlhood Among Gamblers was published in 2003 by Crown Books. It describes Lederer's childhood and young adulthood, which was spent on the campus of St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, where her father taught English, and in Berkeley, Iowa City, and Las Vegas. The book, which focuses on Lederer's sometimes dysfunctional relationship with her parents and siblings, was generally praised for its clean, vivid prose and emotional acuity, although reviewers also noted its intentionally reserved tone. Poker Face was chosen as a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection, and was named one of the best books of the year by Esquire magazine.
Lederer currently works at the D.E. Shaw group, a proprietary trading firm based in New York City.
Lederer's father is Richard Lederer, a writer and linguist who taught at St.
Lederer was a young chess talent and after high school he moved to New York City, where he attended Columbia University.
Lederer is known for his focused, calm demeanor at the poker table, but in 2002, Lederer publicly criticized Daniel Negreanu for making inappropriate comments about Duke.