Leigh Herrick is an award-winning, Pushcart-nominated poet and writer, as well as a past recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board grant. She is also an alumnus of Vermont Studio Center where, in 2001, just after 9/11, she wrote the bulk of her poetry book, Home Front.
Leigh was selected as one of “The Sixty-Four” best poets of 2019 by Black Mountain Press. An engaged poet and writer for over 30 years, Leigh’s work has included public performance, readings, and testimony at numerous coffee houses, bars, galleries, and institutions including The Loft, The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Public Schools, Hamline University (St. Paul), Amazon Bookstore (Minneapolis), A Room of One’s Own Bookstore (Madison, WI), Innisfree Poetry Bookstore (Boulder, CO), Vermont Studio Center, and Red Wing High School (MN). Her poetry, short stories, reviews, vispo, and photography have appeared in numerous publications including: Jacket, Caliban, monkeybicycle, Santa Fe Writers Project, Otoliths, and The William and Mary Review.
Leigh spent 12 years training in traditional hand drumming and is ever-grateful for her beloved teachers, master drummers in their own right: Layne Redmond (RIP), Chico Perez, and Wallace Hill. Much of what is heard in Leigh's work, particularly in her recordings, is due to her long-standing interest and training in rhythmic traditions, including Afro-Caribbean conga and Middle Eastern frame drumming.
Leigh also writes fiction and non-fiction. She creates toward an elasticity of thought that isn't fractured by simplistic diversions. Her work is often subversive, decidedly feminist, and steeped in her relationship with Nature. Her poetry ranges from traditional forms to the experimental, avant-garde, and surreal. Leigh remains dedicated to helping eradicate all things non-egalitarian, and to re/membering Women and Girls who remain subject/s to the imposed limits of personal and political power due to their gender while surviving systems of patriarchy.
Leigh's interest in Nature photography dates back to when she was 18 and her parents bought her a small camera. She began taking photos again in 2012 out of love and deep concern for Nature. Her black and whites most often have to do with a certain quality of light that gets her attention. She likes abstracting some of the photos she takes, or using them for creating visual poetry and broadsides. Previous publication credits for some of her surreal photos and vispo include Otoliths, The William & Mary Review, and Mad Hatter’s Review. Check out her PHOTOS and VISPO and other galleries on this site. Most of the images are low resolution. High resolution images are available upon request.
Leigh's mother died of vascular dementia in August 2023. Deeply impacted by the whole of her experience while caring and advocating for her mom, Leigh transitioned from caregiving to volunteering as a co-facilitator of a support group for Alzheimer's/Dementia Caregivers, and she completed her training with the Alzheimer's Association in 2024. She is currently writing a memoir of her experience helping her mother, and has created a blog that offers reflections on the dementia journey. Check out her DEMENTIA NOTES for CAREGIVERS. You can also GO HERE to see Leigh reading from her memoir as part of a panel discussion regarding the importance of dementia caregiver support groups.
Leigh prefers working in fertile ground in all aspects of life. When not writing, she often has her hands in the soil, and is engaged in restoration planting, gardening, and tending her edible yard where she is joined by her loving sidekicks, Gracie and Beni.
