John T. Leonard is a writer, educator, Editor-in-Chief of Rawhead and managing editor of 42 Miles Press and The Glacier. His first poetry chapbook, “You Are Alive When They Start to Eat You” was recently released by Bottlecap Press. He holds an M.A. in English from Indiana University. John’s poems have been published in Chiron Review, December Magazine, North Dakota Review, Ethel Zine, Louisiana Literature, South Florida Poetry Journal, Jelly Bucket, Painted Bride Quarterly, Tipton Poetry Journal, Floating Acorn Review, Hole in The Head Review, Nimrod International Journal, The Indianapolis Review, The Emerson Review, and many others. John was the 2016 inaugural recipient of the Wolfson Poetry Award, the 2018 recipient of the Josephine K. Piercy Memorial Award, and the 2019 recipient of the David E. Albright Memorial Award and Hatfield Merit Award. John’s debut full length poetry collection is forthcoming. He lives in Elkhart, Indiana with his wife and son. You can connect with him on Instagram @jotyleon
Previous Publications
“Two for Flinching & Thunderclouds”—NōD Magazine
“We Were Never Really Here”—Qu Literary Magazine, Winter Issue 2022
“Cotard in the Summertime”—Up the Staircase Quarterly: Issue #40
“Dry County”—Poetry Quarterly: Issue #32, Fall 2017
“Meditation on the Nature of Reality”—Burningword Literary Journal: Issue 89
“Hunting Season”—Rockvale Review: Issue 4, May 2019
“Raking Sand, Mid-Omen”—Nimrod International Journal, Vol. 64, No.2
“Vigil”—The Indianapolis Review, Issue 17, Summer 2021
“Pentecostal Sweethearts”—The Rappahannock Review: Issue 6.2
“Messenger”—Blue Earth Review, Issue 22
“Exit Country”—Genre: Urban Arts: No. 8 Print
“Brothers”, “It Makes You Wait for It”, “L’appel Du Vide”, “This was the Year” & “Va’eira” —Mud Season Review: Poetry Issue #44 June 20th, 2019
“Song”—Roanoke Review: 2019
“Three Cows Staring at a Dead Coyote”— Eclectica Magazine: Vol. 24 Issue 1 Jan/Feb 2020
“Divide the Days”— North Dakota Quarterly: 86. ¾|
“Lying in a Hammock that is Not at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota”—Chiron Review, Issue 118. Spring 2020
“My Life to a China Orange” —The Blue Mountain Review, Issue 17. February 2020
“Scarecrow” and “Near Walker Lake, End of Summer, Almost Dark”—december– Vol. 31.1 Spring/Summer 2020
“Ghost Country”—Stonecoast Review, Issue 13: Superstition/Summer 2020
“Alone With St. Joseph”—Punt Volat, PV2: Summer 2020
“When The Mountains Turn Blue”—Jelly Bucket, Issue 10
“Stray Dog, Dusk”—The Pomegranate London, Issue 1 2021
“Raking Sand, Mid-Omen”—Nimrod International Journal, Vol. 64, No.2
“Orb-weaver, Sunset”—Phantom Kangaroo, Issue 25. October 13th, 2021.
“Bluegrass Ghosts” and “Sensorium”—Chiron Review, Issue #123, Fall 2021
“Fledgling” & “Psalm”— Painted Bride Quarterly, Issue 104
“Garlic Lamb Meatballs”—The Emerson Review, Vol. 50, Spring 2021
“The Screaming Game”—Ethel Zine, Volume 8
“Americana”—Lunch Ticket, Issue 27, Summer/Fall 2025
“Moonbroch”—High Shelf Press, Issue XXIII, October 2020
“Revenant” & “A Scene”—Floating Acorn Review, Issue Two
“Headstand”—Floating Acorn Review, Issue Three
“Daytime Hauntings”—Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn: Poems and Micro-Stories about Modern Midwest Monsters, Middle West Press
“December” & “Bleak, Absurd, Almost Biblical”—South Florida Poetry Journal, #37, May 2025