John W. Leys

John W. Leys is an indie-poet who lives in Albany, Oregon with his chihuahua, Cosmo. He’s been writing poetry since he was 14, initially inspired to write by the lyrics of Bob Dylan and the Beatles. He served five years in the US Army, has a BA in Religious Studies from the University of South Florida, and studied for his MA in Judaic Studies at the Graduate School of the Jewish Theological Seminary in NYC. His major poetic influences include Lord Byron, Allen Ginsberg, Erica Jong, Walt Whitman, Pete Townshend, Bob Dylan, Catullus, Sappho, and Taliesin. John’s first book of poetry, The Darkness of His Dreams, was published by Broken Wing Publishing in 2019. His second poetry collection, Whispers of a One-Eyed Raven: Mythological Poetry, was published in November 2020. His poetry also appears in Nicholas Gagnier’s All The Lonely People, David L. O’Nan’s Leonard Cohen tribute: Avalanches in Poetry, and Indie Blu(e) Publishing’s anthology As the World Burns. When not writing poetry, John is usually playing one of his many ukuleles or reading ancient Hellenistic philosophy for fun.

Early Life
His full name is John Walter Leys. He was named for my two uncles John R Wood & Walter J Leys. He publishes as "John W. Leys". He is from Albany, Oregon.

Goals
"'To write the things that only I can write.'"

Inspirations
"'I'm constantly inspired by everything around me: Life experiences, songs, other poets, books, movies, et al. I feel one must be open to inspiration wherever it may strike.'"

Philosophy
"'My personal writing philosophy is to write authentically. That is, to write what I want to write, what I need to write, what reflects why true self without regard to an intended audience. Especially in poetry I think this is essential. If a poet is authentic and true to their own voice, the poetry will speak to others and your audience will find you.'"

Publications
The Darkness of His Dreams: Poetry (2019) ISBN: 978-1-7333645-0-8, Whispers of a One-Eyed Raven: Mythological Poetry (2020) ISBN 978-1-7333645-2-2, As the World Burns: Writers and Artists Reflect on a World Gone Mad (Indie Blue Publishing) ISBN 9781951724047 , Avalanches in Poetry: Inspired by Leonard Cohen (ed David L O'Nan) ISBN 978-1700943460 , All the Lonely People (Nicholas Gagnier) ISBN  978-1791725433