About
"Jemma Leech is a silent poet with a loud voice. She listens when others speak, and also when they don’t. She constantly writes in her head, but only occasionally lets the words escape onto paper."
Jemma Leech is a British/Texan poet and essayist who lives in Houston. While she speaks from the perspective of someone with cerebral palsy, she also celebrates nature and the intimacy of human relationships.
Jemma's writing has been published in Gulf Coast Journal and The Raven Review, as well as the Houston Chronicle, The Times , the Times Educational Supplement and on ABC News. She has given readings of her poetry through Inprint, the Houston Public Library and Public Poetry Houston.
She was awarded The Sammy Award by The River Performing and Visual Arts Center in 2008 for her work in spreading awareness of the abilities of people with disabilities. In 2012, Jemma was invited to be part of the Inauguration of Houston's Mayor, Annise Parker, where her poem, I Have a Dream, was read as the Inaugural Poem.
Six of her poems have been set to music by composer, Mary Carol Warwick, to create a cycle for soprano, viola, oboe and piano, entitled Jemma Songs. The piece was premiered by The Greenbriar Consortium, and has been performed several times since, and was adapted as a dance piece with choreography by Deborah Quanaim.
In 2022, Jemma was named one of Compassionate Houston's Artists of the Year.
She is currently working on her first poetry collection,
In : Print.