LESLIEANN HOBAYAN
Leslieann smiling in a dark royal blue elegant tank top and jeans. Her gold brown hair frames her face and waves out, complimenting her smile. Her arms are folded loosely in front of her, one draped over her folded leg, the other resting on her elbow and knee with hand holding her chin. Reflective metal thick bracelet on her wrist and a thinner metal wrap bracelet on her upper arm. Some rings on hand. Delicate tattoo of moon and stars and waving band on upper arm.
Leslieann Hobayan is a Filipina-American poet, essayist, activist mom, and host of Spiritual Grit, a podcast at the intersection of spirituality and activism. She is the author of the chapbook, Divorce Papers: A Slow Burn (Finishing Line Press, 2023) and her poetry manuscript, Jeepney Girl: An Archipelago, was a finalist for the Trio House Press Open. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize and a 2018 Best of the Net, her work has appeared in The Rumpus, Aster(ix) Journal, The Grief Diaries, The Lantern Review, The Mom Egg Review, The World I Leave You: Asian American Poets on Faith and Spirit, and elsewhere. She has been awarded the 2025 NJ State Council for the Arts poetry fellowship, along with fellowships from the Vermont Studio Center, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and artist grants from Community of Writers and the Bread Loaf Orion Environmental Writers Conference. She teaches creative writing at Rutgers University. She is also a spiritual guide for women of color.