Recent Awards and performances
Performed folklore (adapted) including a food story at the Gullah Geechee Food Festival Brunswick County, March 4, 2023
Two stories will appear on Tony Cranston London Storytelling Radio Show , March and April (dates not announced yet)
Told stories for Settle Stories in London for Chinese New Year January 2023
Selected to tell for World Storytelling Day by Diffusione Fabia—March 2023
Taught Food Writing for the London-Arts Based Research Center, February 2023
Present Class on Story arc in narrative poetry by invitation to North
Carolina Poetry Society for Fiftieth anniversary meeting in September 2022
Offered free class in writing stories/memoir to Brunswick County Senior Centers in 2022
Leads regular monthly poetry meetings online
Leads regular general writer meetings online, monthly as Area rep for North Carolina Writers Network
Nominated for Pushcart in 2021 for short story and for poem in 2022 and Best of Net in 2022 for poetry
Runner up in the Robert Frost National Poetry competition, 2022
Runner up I the Bestal Review Food Themed contest/issue 2023 publication
Winner full Moon Prize When Women Write in November 2022 and March 2023
Selected to perform at ASST Arts Sacred Tellings several times last year
Selected to perform on Diffusione Fabia Christmas stories for January 6, 2023 (Telling in English)
Selected to perform Chinese folktales for ages 3-5 in England via zoom on January 24, 2023
Selected to perform non-scary Halloween tales by Voice in the Glen
Runner up in the Robert Frost competition’Nominated for Best of the Net by the Ekprhastic Review 2022
Invited to give a talk on Narrative in Poetry by the North Carolina Poetry Society at their 90th celebration in September 2022
PUSHCART Nomination for Short Story in Active Muse—2021 and 2022 for poetry
Nomination for Western Peacemaker Prize 2020 for short story in Saddlebag Dispatch
First Prize Wilda Morris Monthly Competition –twice, latest November 2022
Commendation 2022—Oprelle,
Tupelo Press 30/30 author
Gilbert Chappell Poetry Fellow 2019
Five-time winner in NC Poetry in Plain Sight Competition including 2021

Books
Poetry
Feathers on Stone Main Street Rag, November 2022
Languid Lusciousness with Lemon (Finishing Line Press) 2017)
Nature’s Gifts (Stanzaic Stylings),
Dancing Under the Moon (Origami Press)
Morning by Morning, (Origami Press).

Fiction
Childrens
Rosa’s Shell (picture book) 2017
Rosa’s Red Apron, (picture book) 2016
Summer in a Bowl, (picture book)2016
WHOOSH, (picture book)TheaQ Press, August 2015

Collected Shorts
Simply a Smile, February 2016 (collection of short stories. Title story won first prize in Australia)

Women’s Fiction
Secrets of the Heart, Desert Breeze, 2015
A Bowl of Rice, Desert Breeze, March, 2014
Booklet: Cottonwood Grove by Western trail Blaze, 2014—nominated for Western Peace Prize in 2021
Letters from Korea Desert Breeze, 2013
Giulia Goes to War , Desert Breeze Publications Historical spy and romance novel released 2012

Non-fiction
The Complete Guide to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia (Berkshire House) Travel guide 2002
Massachusetts, (Scholastic Press– history book for elementary students) 2000
The Christmas Gift , (Warner Press)– coloring book , now out of print

Short Stories, selection
More than 30 short stories published in period 2016-2021 in addition to the ones listed below
Poetry Selected as Full Moon Winner in November 2022 and March 2023

Several time winner of Third Wednesday Short story Contest, 2021 and 2020
Bould Anthology (two stories)
Story in many magazines
Crimeucopia (one story) Anthology
Yellow Mama October 2021
Short Story accepted for 2019 Sisters in Crime Anthology Fishy Business
Winner of Lawyerist Contest 2018
Winner first prize flash fiction, Literative, Tiger, 2016
Short Listed in Bath Flash Fiction in 2016
Short story, Egidio Decides to Fish, accepted for 2014 Sisters in Crime Anthology
Second Prize: Winston Salem Literary Contest 2014-short story
Third Prize NC Poetry Society Children’s Division, 2014
The Red Apron, Award winner Intergeneration Contest 2013
Rings, Honorable Mention Intergeneration Contest 2013
The Fish Knife, The A3 Review, 2015
*First Prize winner for Voice of an Angel, Charlotte Writers Club, 2013
Thunderbolt: Editor’s choice winner for stories appearing in 2012 Wordsmith Journal Magazine
“The Secret of Greatness” Third prize in Alabama Writer’s Conclave, July 2012 (children’s)
First Place Kaixin writing contest “Simply a Smile” http://kaixin.com.au/ 2010
“Pearls of Wisdom” short story, “Dolphin Log” (now Cousteau Magazine for Children)
Honorable Mention for Intergenerational Tale, “Coquina” (Intergeneration Writing Contest) 2009
“Button Button” A short story for middle schoolers was accepted into Doorway to Adventure , an anthology compiled by the Writer’s Group of the Triad in Greensboro, NC, publishing date, October 2010
Award Winner Wilmington Historic Society Short Story Contest (twice, third place and second place)

Poetry , Essays (a selection)
Nominated for Pushcart by Muse and for Vest of Net by The Ekphrastic Review and for Pushcart 2022
Sassee magazine—at least ten, including the latest one in July 2021
Silver Arts Winner Brunswick County, 2017
Work selected by Ashmolean Ekphrastic reading in November 2016
Commendation for Operelle Award
Winner of Wilda Morris contest on poetry May, 2017 and in Spring of 2021
Finalist for Joseph Applewhite Award, 2017 NC Poetry Society
Languid Lusciousness with Lemon , Short listed for Fermoy Poetry Contest 2016
Spotting Carolina Jessamine After the Rain—Doty Katz Memorial award first place
Ghazal Contest, Southern Writers “Sunrise on the Beach”(3rd)
National Press Women award 2016 for food article, second place
Poems selected for Winston Salem Poetry in Plain sight, 2015 and 2016
Ekphrastic poems in VisualVerse, Ekphrastic Review and accepted into New Bern Art Collection Magazine for 2016
Essay in Chicken Soup for the Soul, “She Stopped to say Goodbye” October 2014
Dancing Poetry Contest, Second place, 2012, Third place, 2013
Non-fiction, contributions to publications
• Contributed two chapters to Tales as Tools, National Storytelling Association
• Contributed one chapter to new 2006 Book The Storytelling Classroom: Applications Across the Curriculum by Sherry Norfolk,

Teaching Experience
Teaching Writing:
New online Class on Poetry in the Kitchen offered with London Arts Center-Feb 8
Teaching memoir in Brunswick County Senior centers 2022
Teaching writing for Brunswick Arts Council, Writing for Healing, 2021
Teaching both storytelling and writing for Brunswick County in Leland Center in 2019
Taught writing historical fiction and storytelling at Island Montessori in Wilmington December 2018
North Carolina Storytelling Guild, Tar Heel Tellers, (writing and storytelling) weeklong residency at Wildacres
Northern Virginia Community College, Fairfax, VA
Point Park University, Pittsburgh, PA, and Brunswick County Community College ,
NC, Fairfax County Library System Adult Programs, Prince William County Library System, Adult

Programs
Programs to teach writing through storytelling at elementary, middle and high school level given in DC metro area in a variety of schools
Teaching Story Performance
North Carolina Storytelling Guild, Tar Heel Tellers (writing and storytelling) at Wildacres
Northern Virginia Community College, Point Park University, Pittsburgh, Fairfax County Schools, Smithsonian Docent Program, National Park Service, Other parks and museums and many schools in DC area, Head Start Program Fairfax County, Brunswick County Literacy. Various Story Conference programs including National Storytelling Association meetings, LANES, VASA and Voices in the Glen.
Past
*For ten years was a regular stringer for Sun News of Myrtle Beach SC and regular feature writer in food department
*Disability writer for SMG Profiles in excellence on www.disability-marketing.com
• Editor in Chief, “Industrial Launderer”, UTSA; Managed production and layout, wrote and edited most of 72-120 page magazine and other publications. While there, introduced photo log, update method for directory, profile series.
• Senior Editor, EKA Corp. Writing, editing. Designed web page for children’s site. (
• Senior Program Analyst for Workers’ Compensation Programs, US Dept. Labor. (Two years, senior analyst for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs) Work consisted of policy analysis, legislative analysis, coordinating communication and evaluation, preparation of Congressional and OMB Budget material, research, and coordinating and negotiating policy, regulatory issues with other Federal agencies.

Performance short: Storytelling Awards and Media Experience:
Featured Teller ASST Sacred Storytelling November 2021 and 2022
Featured Teller Radio Cavolo, Florence, Italy 2021 and 2022, 2023
Emcee for ASST for September 11 program
Featured Teller for ASST Tellers for Insect storytelling in Spring 2021,
Regularly appear at various schools, community events, and museums.
Presenter and Featured Performer at National Storytelling Gathering in Pittsburgh, Brunswick County Grant for Story Performance Website Construction, Selected to represent US Storytelling on Japanese Television; Touring Performer Grant, Virginia Fine Arts Commission; Featured Performer Status,

Memberships: Voices in the Glen, North Carolina Writers Organization,(Regional Rep) NCWriters.org, North Carolina Storytelling Guild, aka Tar Heel Tellers (Regional Rep)
Sisters in Crime, North Carolina Poetry Society. ON the Board of London (England)Arts Based Research Center
Education: Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Relations (MA) Washington, DC and Bologna, Italy. International Relations and Economics. Languages FS4-Spanish, FS3-Italian. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio and Madrid, Spain. Lesotho, Southern Africa. BA in political science with minors in English and Spanish.

Calabash, NC
910.233.4482
joanleotta@gmail.com

www.joanleotta.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joan-Leotta-Author-and-Story-Performer/188479350973