Jeff Walt was born and raised in rural Pennsylvania among a community of railroad workers, brick layers, and stripminers. He's been employed as a cowboy at Walt Disney World; a gallery attendant; a customer service trainer; a cook; masseur; barista; and as an adjunct English composition instructor. He graduated from Goddard College in Vermont with his MFA in Writing and Literature in 1993. Jeff has placed in various national poetry contests and is best known for poetry in which he depicts the grind of working-class life--tiresome workloads, the temporary joys of addiction, struggling relationships. He lives in Palm Desert, CA and is Founder & Director of The Desert Rat Residency for Writers, which sponsors The Desert Rat Poetry Prize. In addition, he is one of two Series Editors for The Keystone Chapbook Prize at Ron Mohring’s Seven Kitchens Press. For many years, he was the Steve Kowit Poetry Prize Coordinator, which is part of the San Diego Arts & Entertainment Guild with The Kowit Awardees published in the San Diego Poetry Annual. His book, Leave Smoke, was published on Oct. 1, 2019 by Gival Press and was awarded the 2020 Housatonic Book Award given by the Western Connecticut State University MFA Program “…to promote excellent writing, to identify authors who serve as professional role models for writing students…. “
J E F F W A L T, 2017. Click image for Bio-Site.
Kimmel Harding Nelson, J E F F as Resident Artist, 2017.
Fairhope Center for the Writing Arts, J E F F as Resident Artist, 2018.
Littoral Press Broadside.
Sample Poems by J E F F W A L T
J E F F W A L T in The Sun Magazine.
Lit Cafe, San Diego PRIDE, 2019.
MacDowell, J E F F as Resident Artist, 1995.
Poem originally appeared in Cream City Review.
J E F F W A L T in New Millennium Writings.
Wester Connecticut State University presents the 2020 Housatonic Book Award, Poetry.
JEFF WALT features at Palabra in San Diego, 2018.
Anthology of sex & intimacy.
J E F F collaborates with Broadsided Press & visual artist Cheryl Gross.
J E F F in The Good Men Project.
Squaw Valley Anthology.
Soot (Seven Kitchens Press, 2010) chosen as co-winner of The Keystone Chapbook Prize.
J E F F W A L T with Dorianne Laux, Pebble Beach, Catamaran Conference, 2017.
Re-Pulped Anthology.
J E F F's Bio-Site.
Baby J E F F
Hibernation Anthology.
Djerassi Resident Artist Program, J E F F as Resident Artist, 2003 (returned as a winter alumni resident, 2015, 2016, 2017).
Catamaran Conference, Pebble Beach, 2017.
J E F F in Slipstream.
Sample Poems by J E F F via Jendi Reiter.
J E F F with Addonizio & Bryan at Centrum at Port Townsend, 2005.
J E F F W A L T, self-portrait with sunshine, 2023.
MacDowell, J E F F as Resident Artist, 1995.
J E F F with Bella da Ball in PALM SPRINGS, 2018.
Squaw Valley Conference, 2017.
JEFF WALT, 2022.