About the Collective

Lola Willis

Founder/Director

Lola Willis (she/her) lives and writes in Leesville, Louisiana with her husband and six children. She began writing poetry after she lost her transgender daughter, Rain, to suicide in May 2024. Her work has appeared in The Prairie Review, 318 Central, Boudin, The Delta Review and MockingHeart Review. She was a finalist for the Maxine Cassin Prize for her poem Bird's Eye View Over East Colfax Before Flying | May 17, 2024.

 

She founded the nonprofit Vernon Parish Poetry Collective in April 2026 during National Poetry Month in an effort to establish a community of poets in Leesville and the surrounding areas. The organization will host its first series of events during Pride Month in June of 2026, offering a poetry presentation, LGBTQ+ gathering and open mic night.

 

Lola also serves the parish as an at-large member of the Democratic Executive Committee and is a field advocate for the Association for Suicide Prevention. She is also partnered with local activist Bradley Hesson in producing a weekly video series, Small Business Saturday which offers reviews to drive customers to invest locally.