john compton
john compton (b. 1987) — gay, country, and has devoted life to poetry. a rebel, won’t be quieted down, and opinionated. a homebody, animal loving, emdash enthusiast! he is the author of 20 books/chapbooks, who lives in kentucky with his husband josh and their dogs and 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 new full length book ‘house as a cemetery’ will be published with Rebel Satori Press (march 2026). you can find his books, some poems and other things here: https://linktr.ee/poetjohncompton
Featured Book
house as a cemetery
“A poet can tell you things you know but don’t quite articulate: A poet can also surprise the way something ordinary can be seen anew: A poet can make us feel that a line of verse is not unlike a Chagall painting—next time you are in your house, remember that a house ‘sits, skeleton bare to the elements.’ Most importantly, sometimes the poets tell us like it is. And that is the truth.” —Ilya Kaminsky, poet and author of Deaf Republic
“john compton leads us “on a tour / identifying every dead thing.” On display is the grotesque, the sensual, and the transformative.” —Paul Hlava Ceballos, poet and author of banana [ ]
Meet john compton and get a copy of their book at the 2026 Kentucky Book Festival, Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Joseph-Beth Booksellers.