Ava Leavell Haymon is a poet, playwright, and teacher. Her three collections are The Strict Economy of Fire, Why the House Is Made of Gingerbread, and Kitchen Heat, all from Louisiana State University Press. She holds the Louisiana Literature Prize for Poetry in 2003, the L.E. Phillabaum Poetry Award for 2010, and the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters 2010 Award in Poetry.
She teaches poetry writing in Baton Rouge and directs a retreat center for writers and artists in New Mexico. She has published five chapbooks and three books, with a fourth one due out from LSU Press this fall. Her poems have appeared in journals including Poetry, Prairie Schooner, and The Sun.
The Strict Economy of Fire by 
Uncommonplace, An Anthology of Contemporary Louisiana Poets by 
Why the Groundhog Fears Her Shadow by 
Why the House Is Made of Gingerbread by 
