john compton

Poet

Author's Bio

john compton (b. 1987) is a gay poet who lives in kentucky with his husband josh and their dogs, cats and mice. his latest full length book is "my husband holds my hand because i may drift away & be lost forever in the vortex of a crowded store" published with Flowersong Press (dec 2024); his latest chapbook is "melancholy arcadia" published with Harbor Editions (april 2024). he has been published in ONE ART more times then he has fingers on one hand. you can find his books, some poems and other things here: https://linktr.ee/poetjohncompton

book (publisher not in their directory)

• stranger in the attic of clouds [deadman's press ink]

chapbook (publisher not in their directory)

• the scalpel calms the grief [the grindstone]

Publications & Prizes

Books:
house as a cemetery (Rebel Satori Press, 2026)
,
my husband holds my hand because i may drift away & be lost forever in the vortex of a crowded store (FlowerSong Press, 2024)
,
the castration of a minor god (Ghost City Press, 2022)
,
trainride elsewhere (Pressed Wafer, 2016)
Chapbooks:
the pain diary (Ethel Zine, 2026)
,
my thirteen ways to commit suicide manifesto (Between Shadows Press, 2025)
,
melancholy arcadia (Small Harbor Publishing, 2024)
,
our trees speak in suburbian (Ghost City Press, 2024)
,
blacked out borderland from an exponential crisis (Ethel, 2023)
,
how we liberated what secrets we modified (Etched Press, 2023)
,
to wash all the pretty things off my skin (Ethel, 2021)
,
a child growing wild inside the mothering womb (Ghost City Press, 2020)
,
i saw god cooking children / paint their bones (Blood Pudding Press, 2020)
,
ampersand (Plan B Press, 2018)
,
rust (Kindle Singles, 2018)
,
that moan like a saxophone (Kindle Singles, 2016)
Prizes won: 
  • pushcart nomination 2020: the men that made bonfires
  • pushcart nomination 2021: the every tree
  • pushcart nomination 2022: the waltz; or, how one becomes more clean

Watch

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors: 
indie poets

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
LGBTQ
Prefers to work with: 
Adults, Disability, Illness/Wellness, Immigration, LGBTQ, Men, Mental Health, Naturalists/Environmentalists, Seniors, Teachers, Women
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
KY
Kentucky
Raised in: 
KY
Kentucky
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Nov 13, 2025