"Spotlight" Poet Interview:
Joan Leotta
Joan Leotta
Hello Joan. I hope all is well with you and you and your family are doing well. Thank you for being the Creative Inspirations “Spotlight” poet for the very beginning of 2025.
Tell us a little bit about Joan.
Well, starting at the beginning, I was born and raised in Pittsburgh right in the city, to a very loving Italian American family, my dad an immigrant, and my mom second generation Italian. I attended Ursuline Academy for grades one through eight (12 girls graduated 8th grade) and then our lady of mercy academy for grades 9 and 10, and when that school moved to the suburbs I opted for public school and went from a class of 90 in a school of 300 girls at Mt. Mercy, to a class of 650 in a school of 3,000 at Allderdice, with boys in the class for the first time since third grade. Challenges were many but I made up my mind to overcome them. From there, college in Ohio and opportunities to travel to Africa and study in Spain. I went to a graduate school in Washington, DC that offered one year in DC and a year in Bologna, Italy, where I met some distant relatives and learned Italian. From earliest days, I loved to write, and I loved to be on stage. My first major at college was journalism but I shifted from fields that centered on my loves of language and writing to political science, and then in grad school to economics. It was only after working for ten years, marrying, and having children that I returned to writing and performing.
Wow! Some wonderful experiences. Nice! Tell us about your journey to being a published author.
My first publication for pay was in Horn Book Magazine—somewhere in there is a photo of me holding the ten-dollar check at age 14—I wrote for the school papers, teaches submitted my work to city-wide and county-wide contests and anthologies and I often won, or almost always at least placed. College was a huge gap in time in my writing that extended through my years at work—at least the first few—After I got married and had children, I thought about writing as a way to get some work done at home. In those days, work from home was rare. I also took a course in how to do storytelling on stage at the Kennedy Center and began to work as a journalist and story performer. Absolute fun and the children could go along with me! After my dad died, I broadened my writing back to poetry, fiction, and essays, and from non-fiction business articles.
So, what are some things about the writing industry you can share that are good? What things are not so good?
There is a lot more acceptance of people working from home and with children in the background. But the circle is more closed for books, in many ways, with many small houses having consolidated into just a few large ones. Paid op-in magazines for stories and poems are few and many still pay what they did fifty years ago. Story performance pays better, and I am rejoining the company of folks in the Viriginia area. Better Said Than Done presents “Comfort & Joy,” A Year End Celebration and Storytelling Show, with recipes, online at:
https://bettersaidthandone.org/event/comfort-and-joy/
Good things are that the industry in wider now—more ops for folks who were shut out before, even if it is not for pay. The industry is evolving—lots of interest in shorter things, probably reflecting the shortening attention spans of today’s readers. It is still too hard to approach a publisher if you don’t have an agent (in my opinion), especially in the world of children’s books, and no one – or almost no one – wants to touch a book that has gone out of print because the previous publisher went out of business—enough grousing!
I see the advent of publishers like Atmosphere Press as a continuing and growing trend—you pay part of the costs—no advance, but you do get some help and they do curate—that is, they are selective—but you really have to be a marketing whizz—no matter how you publish in order to sell your books. It’s not an automatic process. Hard work and personal appearances make sales. A newsletter and a presence on Goodreads are ways to build a potential audience for your work—known as a platform, though not quite the same thing.
The important thing about publishing is that when you are offered a contract, make sure that the publisher is reputable and honest, and that you understand what rights they are taking, what rights you retain, and what will happen if they go out of business. Even if there is no language specifically directed to that last point, if they are honest and you retain rights, you will be fine. Four of my publishers went out of business. They are/were all honest, legitimate folks so the rights reverted to me in every case. The fact that I have not republished them, for instance, on Amazon, is my own fault. I have heard horror stories from people whose publishers simply disappeared leaving them high and dry without rights to their own work--check the reputation of your publisher carefully. It's important.
Tell us about your newsletter.
The newsletter is evolving. Starting in December I began to offer more information on story performance online and in person as well as writing to reflect the two sides of what I do—The newsletter began as a way to get the information about programs for NCWN out to my list and then I expanded it—giving cooking hints and writing tips and resources and information about what I am doing. I am planning on naming the letter---"Words for Page and Stage Newsletter”—to reflect my love of using words to encourage and enrich others through my writing and performance.
Now, let’s get into your book. First, tell us the thought behind this book, and second, share with us the inspiration that brought it to life and into the hands of readers such as myself. A full review of your book is posted here at the Creative Inspirations website.
Putting together a chapbook was a challenge—both times I did it because I wanted to give what I thought were my best poems and additional coverage by having them in a book form. The topics varied but centered on food, family, and nature (and a Lot on the moon!). I did not set out by starting with a theme—rather, I looked back on my work and collected poems I thought might be of interest to others, mostly poems that had been published already because I had more confidence in them. So, I divided the book into segments and chose as the title a bit of a line about the feathers on stone because I think that poetry as an art is a feather of hope, love, lightness, and joy that strikes the stones of the world –hard hearts, hard thoughts, hard circumstances—with a power that is often underestimated.
What are a few of your favorite poems, and why?
It’s hard to pick favorites but I think I have to go with the ones that express my love for my family— You may want to ask why I do not write much about my wonderful husband?—It’s because he does not like me to share thoughts about him for publication—he is a very private person and I respect that. The feather poems are not really about him, even though they speak to a relationship—actually they are aimed more generally at things and people that weigh in on me.
These are my favorites in the current book, feathers on stone, which, by the way, can be ordered from Main Street Rag--not on Amazon because the editor of that press does not believe in using Amazon—would I go with that again? No. But in any case, here are the four:
“Smell of the Hunter Moon”
“Magritte’s Apple Explains It All”
“Bottle Cap”
“Aging”
What’s in the plans for 2025?
As always, I make a lot of plans and God rearranges / edits the list. In addition to plans for personal growth, I have these professional plans:
-I want to start my reading of “Little Women as Lousia May Alcott” online and do some appearances of “Louisa May.”
-My work in poetry continues and I hope to put together a mini chapbook to circulate for publication—I am challenging myself to do more short story and flash fiction / prose poetry writing. I like the challenge of the shorter forms and in poetry I’m experimenting with forms.
Allow me to thank you again for this time and opportunity to interview you. It has been a blessing! Please have some closing words.
It’s been a blessing to me to be able to share some thoughts with you and hopefully inspire others to write, but more importantly, to encourage others to deepen their relationship with God. Thank you for inviting me, Maurice.
*****************************************************************************************************************
Joan Leotta is an author and story performer who has been nominated for Pushcart, Best of Net, Best of Micro fiction, Western Peacemaker Award, an Awardee in Presswomen, Robert Frost, Silver Arts, and Dancing Poetry.
"Feathers on Stone" poetry chapbook is available from Joan and at
https://mainstreetragbookstore.com/product/feathers-on-stone-joan-leotta/
Tell us a little bit about Joan.
Well, starting at the beginning, I was born and raised in Pittsburgh right in the city, to a very loving Italian American family, my dad an immigrant, and my mom second generation Italian. I attended Ursuline Academy for grades one through eight (12 girls graduated 8th grade) and then our lady of mercy academy for grades 9 and 10, and when that school moved to the suburbs I opted for public school and went from a class of 90 in a school of 300 girls at Mt. Mercy, to a class of 650 in a school of 3,000 at Allderdice, with boys in the class for the first time since third grade. Challenges were many but I made up my mind to overcome them. From there, college in Ohio and opportunities to travel to Africa and study in Spain. I went to a graduate school in Washington, DC that offered one year in DC and a year in Bologna, Italy, where I met some distant relatives and learned Italian. From earliest days, I loved to write, and I loved to be on stage. My first major at college was journalism but I shifted from fields that centered on my loves of language and writing to political science, and then in grad school to economics. It was only after working for ten years, marrying, and having children that I returned to writing and performing.
Wow! Some wonderful experiences. Nice! Tell us about your journey to being a published author.
My first publication for pay was in Horn Book Magazine—somewhere in there is a photo of me holding the ten-dollar check at age 14—I wrote for the school papers, teaches submitted my work to city-wide and county-wide contests and anthologies and I often won, or almost always at least placed. College was a huge gap in time in my writing that extended through my years at work—at least the first few—After I got married and had children, I thought about writing as a way to get some work done at home. In those days, work from home was rare. I also took a course in how to do storytelling on stage at the Kennedy Center and began to work as a journalist and story performer. Absolute fun and the children could go along with me! After my dad died, I broadened my writing back to poetry, fiction, and essays, and from non-fiction business articles.
So, what are some things about the writing industry you can share that are good? What things are not so good?
There is a lot more acceptance of people working from home and with children in the background. But the circle is more closed for books, in many ways, with many small houses having consolidated into just a few large ones. Paid op-in magazines for stories and poems are few and many still pay what they did fifty years ago. Story performance pays better, and I am rejoining the company of folks in the Viriginia area. Better Said Than Done presents “Comfort & Joy,” A Year End Celebration and Storytelling Show, with recipes, online at:
https://bettersaidthandone.org/event/comfort-and-joy/
Good things are that the industry in wider now—more ops for folks who were shut out before, even if it is not for pay. The industry is evolving—lots of interest in shorter things, probably reflecting the shortening attention spans of today’s readers. It is still too hard to approach a publisher if you don’t have an agent (in my opinion), especially in the world of children’s books, and no one – or almost no one – wants to touch a book that has gone out of print because the previous publisher went out of business—enough grousing!
I see the advent of publishers like Atmosphere Press as a continuing and growing trend—you pay part of the costs—no advance, but you do get some help and they do curate—that is, they are selective—but you really have to be a marketing whizz—no matter how you publish in order to sell your books. It’s not an automatic process. Hard work and personal appearances make sales. A newsletter and a presence on Goodreads are ways to build a potential audience for your work—known as a platform, though not quite the same thing.
The important thing about publishing is that when you are offered a contract, make sure that the publisher is reputable and honest, and that you understand what rights they are taking, what rights you retain, and what will happen if they go out of business. Even if there is no language specifically directed to that last point, if they are honest and you retain rights, you will be fine. Four of my publishers went out of business. They are/were all honest, legitimate folks so the rights reverted to me in every case. The fact that I have not republished them, for instance, on Amazon, is my own fault. I have heard horror stories from people whose publishers simply disappeared leaving them high and dry without rights to their own work--check the reputation of your publisher carefully. It's important.
Tell us about your newsletter.
The newsletter is evolving. Starting in December I began to offer more information on story performance online and in person as well as writing to reflect the two sides of what I do—The newsletter began as a way to get the information about programs for NCWN out to my list and then I expanded it—giving cooking hints and writing tips and resources and information about what I am doing. I am planning on naming the letter---"Words for Page and Stage Newsletter”—to reflect my love of using words to encourage and enrich others through my writing and performance.
Now, let’s get into your book. First, tell us the thought behind this book, and second, share with us the inspiration that brought it to life and into the hands of readers such as myself. A full review of your book is posted here at the Creative Inspirations website.
Putting together a chapbook was a challenge—both times I did it because I wanted to give what I thought were my best poems and additional coverage by having them in a book form. The topics varied but centered on food, family, and nature (and a Lot on the moon!). I did not set out by starting with a theme—rather, I looked back on my work and collected poems I thought might be of interest to others, mostly poems that had been published already because I had more confidence in them. So, I divided the book into segments and chose as the title a bit of a line about the feathers on stone because I think that poetry as an art is a feather of hope, love, lightness, and joy that strikes the stones of the world –hard hearts, hard thoughts, hard circumstances—with a power that is often underestimated.
What are a few of your favorite poems, and why?
It’s hard to pick favorites but I think I have to go with the ones that express my love for my family— You may want to ask why I do not write much about my wonderful husband?—It’s because he does not like me to share thoughts about him for publication—he is a very private person and I respect that. The feather poems are not really about him, even though they speak to a relationship—actually they are aimed more generally at things and people that weigh in on me.
These are my favorites in the current book, feathers on stone, which, by the way, can be ordered from Main Street Rag--not on Amazon because the editor of that press does not believe in using Amazon—would I go with that again? No. But in any case, here are the four:
“Smell of the Hunter Moon”
“Magritte’s Apple Explains It All”
“Bottle Cap”
“Aging”
What’s in the plans for 2025?
As always, I make a lot of plans and God rearranges / edits the list. In addition to plans for personal growth, I have these professional plans:
-I want to start my reading of “Little Women as Lousia May Alcott” online and do some appearances of “Louisa May.”
-My work in poetry continues and I hope to put together a mini chapbook to circulate for publication—I am challenging myself to do more short story and flash fiction / prose poetry writing. I like the challenge of the shorter forms and in poetry I’m experimenting with forms.
Allow me to thank you again for this time and opportunity to interview you. It has been a blessing! Please have some closing words.
It’s been a blessing to me to be able to share some thoughts with you and hopefully inspire others to write, but more importantly, to encourage others to deepen their relationship with God. Thank you for inviting me, Maurice.
*****************************************************************************************************************
Joan Leotta is an author and story performer who has been nominated for Pushcart, Best of Net, Best of Micro fiction, Western Peacemaker Award, an Awardee in Presswomen, Robert Frost, Silver Arts, and Dancing Poetry.
"Feathers on Stone" poetry chapbook is available from Joan and at
https://mainstreetragbookstore.com/product/feathers-on-stone-joan-leotta/
My Review of "Feathers on Stone"
I am in delightful favor of compact, inspirational, story-telling bodies of work, and Joan Leotta's "Feathers on Stone" delivers and satisfies my poetic tastes. The poems each tell a story, like a gifted musician and songwriter who just does not sing the song, but takes us on a journey with the song. Joan's masterful ability to take the reader on a journey is at work here. "Feathers on Stone" is a great read for anyone, especially those that like to connect with the writer's piece on a personal level. A few of the poems that really touched my heart are Wild Jessamine, My Father's Late-Night Supper, and Aging.
-MJ Reynolds
I am in delightful favor of compact, inspirational, story-telling bodies of work, and Joan Leotta's "Feathers on Stone" delivers and satisfies my poetic tastes. The poems each tell a story, like a gifted musician and songwriter who just does not sing the song, but takes us on a journey with the song. Joan's masterful ability to take the reader on a journey is at work here. "Feathers on Stone" is a great read for anyone, especially those that like to connect with the writer's piece on a personal level. A few of the poems that really touched my heart are Wild Jessamine, My Father's Late-Night Supper, and Aging.
-MJ Reynolds
Creative Inspirations - P.O. Box 19051 Kalamazoo, MI 49019
[email protected] - www.cipoetrypublication.com
[email protected] - www.cipoetrypublication.com