Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)

@kleonardphd

Librettist, lyricist, poet, scholar, teacher. Writing operas about kickass women and nb folks. Runs the Silent Film Sound & Music Archive (sfsma.org). Autistic. Disabled. Alphabetize under Leonard. kendraprestonleonard.hcommons.org

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Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· 26d

This was in my box of sparkly things from y’all. What is it? Do you need it back?

A small plastic rectangle with blue stripes and two holes drilled in it

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· 27d

Applications are open for Guerilla Opera's 2026-27 Writers' Collective! Apply at buff.ly/eVke9Vx before July 31!

Applications are now open for the
2026-27 Writers' Collective!
The Writers' Collective is a program for artists developing texts intended for musical performance to work together in a supportive, creative community.
It meets twice a month from September to May on Zoom to workshop writers' projects using Critical Response Process and learn about and discuss libretto-writing and the opera industry.
Writers of all backgrounds and experience levels are welcome!
Apply at https://buff.ly/eVke9Vx
Applications are open July -31, 2026.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· 27d

Everything you need to know about Guerilla Opera's 2026-27 Writers' Collective! Apply at buff.ly/eVke9Vx by July 31!

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jul 10

Wisp is waiting for something exciting to happen

A large white fluffy dog reclines on a sofa that is covered with bright blue and yellow quilts

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jul 9

Testing for new headshots… without my usual headwrap

A white woman with glasses and very short cropped hair wearing a dark purple mock turtleneck with an opal necklace

A white woman with glasses and very short cropped hair, wearing a mock turtleneck and an opal necklace

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jul 4

The Hal Leonard gave me a copy of the collection that Lisa Neher and I have a song in.

The cover of the book songs and lessons for the beginning singer. It shows a dark haired girl and a green shirt on a white background, and the titles are in white against an aqua background.

The header of the preparatory page for growl and howl shows a werewolf as a cartoon and has exercises for students to do as they’re learning the song

The first few bars of growl and howl showing Lisa’s and my names at the top

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jul 1

Noodles wanted to play with the hose today, biting the water and jumping through it. Here’s the result/

A very happy, very wet, black dog with a grey muzzle and eyebrows holding a brown plastic bone in his mouth.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 24

It's anti-Prime day! My novella in verse PROTECTRESS is $16 + free shipping at bookshop.org! PROTECTRESS imagines that Medusa survives Perseus &, with her sisters & friends, fights rape culture & victim-blaming. It's also got queer rep, magic & spells, and very good dogs. tinyurl.com/nnatpywe

The cover of PROTECTRESS, showing a filigreed, gold and green snake-headed helmet on a black background with the text "PROTECTRESS Kendra Preston Leonard" across the bottom in gold.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 23

Premiere of The Troy Game today at Bled Contemporary Music Week! Congratulations and thanks to Weng Yu, voice; Darcy Gilkerson, cello; Andrej Kos, accordion; Georgiana Grecu, piano; Jonas Evenstad, percussion; and Niki Zohdi, conductor! @angelasmusic @institut.abeceda

An ensemble in a concert space. The floor is light wood and the walls are a deep pink. Everyone is wearing black. The performers are Weng Yu, voice; Darcy Gilkerson, cello; Andrej Kos, accordion; Georgiana Grecu, piano; Jonas Evenstad, percussion; and Niki Zohdi, conductor! @angelasmusic @institut.abeceda

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 22

Interested in applying for the 2026-27 Guerilla Opera Libretto Labs Writers' Collective? Here's a quick FAQ!

Do I need to be a musician?

Nope! You do need to be willing & able to learn some standard music and opera terminology & become familiar with some of the opera repertoire before the Writers' Collective's first meeting in September.

Do I need to have previous experience writing a libretto, lyrics, or book for musical theater?

No experience necessary, although if you’ve already done some kind of creative writing, it’ll help. Do say specifically why you want to write a libretto.

Do I need to have a specific story in mind?

All you need to start is a general idea or two that you think would make for a good opera, & you need to be able to explain why you think it would be a good opera (or musical, or song cycle).

How does workshopping work?

We use Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process, & we’ll train you in using it at the first session. All writers do need to commit to participating in workshopping.

What else should I know?

Expect to spend 7-10 hours a week doing assignments and writing.

Classes are in English but you can write in whatever language you want as long as you can provide rough translations for workshopping.

We do offer financial aid--you can apply for it in the application form!

Feel free to email me with any questions or concerns at kpleonard@guerillaopera.org--I am always happy to help!

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 22

Roofers are tearing off the old roof. The dogs are at day camp--they are always ecstatic to go there and Noodles especially makes happy whining noises when he realizes where the car is headed.

A black dog with a white muzzle and floppy ears and a white streak on his chest sits on a red dug in front of a sofa covered with an range quilt. He is ready to play.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 21

It’s rainy and grey and I really want to do needlework today, but the dogs—especially this mud puppy—keep coming in and going out and shaking mud and rainwater all over the place so I’m just going to read instead.

A white dog with big mud streaks on her face.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 21

View from today: my backyard and patio. In the background, purple Mexican petunias are blooming. They bloom every morning and fall off every afternoon. In the foreground, a red-pink hibiscus blooms. On a wrought-iron table, basil, sage, and two cactus are in full leaf. One cactus has pink flowers.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 17

OMG. Same (lack of) energy:

A large, floofy white dog reclines on her back on a brown sofa, her legs splayed out and pink tummy on display to the entire world. She has a goofy look on her face.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 13

At Yaddo, someone had left a little box full of plastic and ceramic doodads in one of the common areas with the instructions to “take only all the charms you want.” So I took these and finally made some jewelry with them today. @yaddocommunity.bsky.social

A pair of yellow plastic and malachite earrings a pair of holographic plastic earrings; and a green, yellow, and red bead on string

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 13

Houston-area folks, if you are a fan of squash blossoms, Xochi has a special squash blossom menu right now! I had the tlayuda today and it was delicious.

Menu reading
Ensalada de Flor de Calabaza squash blossoms, purslane, Heirloom tomato, requeson, lemon vinaigrette dressing 22

Quesadilla de Flor de Calabaza quesadilla stuffed with squash blossoms, epazote and Oaxacan cheese, tomatillo sauce 14

Enchiladas de Flor de Calabaza sautéed vegetables, squash blossoms, mole amarillo, cheese, refritos, rice 22

Tlayuda de Flor de Calabaza large, crispy Oaxacan tortilla, grilled vegetables, squash blossoms, refritos, mole amarillo, Oaxacan cheese 24

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 11

Portland, Oregon folks, my wonderful publisher @unsolicitedpress.bsky.social will be at the Rose City Book and Paper Fair this weekend at Booth H4. Go grab a copy of PROTECTRESS or any of their other terrific books or a sticker or temporary tattoo.

Black and red text on a rosy white background, reading:
THE CASCADE BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION PRESENTS
20TH ANNUAL
ROSE CITY
BOOK & PAPER FAIR
THANK YOU FOR 20 GREAT YEARS.
JUNE 13-14, 2026
1000 NE MULTNOMAH• PORTLAND, ORE

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 4

Wisp: “if you aren’t born with badger markings, it’s perfectly fine to get them aftermarket.” (Badger markings are non-white patches of fur on #GreatPyrenees dogs.)

A mostly white dog with mud all over her right hind lag and haunches from sleeping in mud puddles all day.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 2

I'm so sorry to learn of tis. May his memory be a blessing.

Text copied from image

FLACSO MEXICO

La Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, sede México

lamenta profundamente el sensible fallecimiento del

Dr. Raúl Pacheco-Vega

entrañable profesor-investigador, colega, amigo y miembro muy querido de El Dr. Pacheco-Vega fue profesor-investigador de la FLACSO México, adscrito al Laboratorio de Métodos. Su trayectoria académica se distinguió por sus aportes al estudio de los métodos mixtos, las políticas públicas y las políticas ambientales, con especial atención a temas como la gobernanza del agua, el cambio climático y las poblaciones vulnerables. La FLACSO México reconoce con gratitud su legado académico, su generosidad intelectual y la huella que deja en quienes compartieron con él espacios de trabajo, aprendizaje y amistad. Expresamos nuestras más sentidas condolencias a sus familiares, amistades, colegas, estudiantado y a las comunidades académicas de las que formó parte. Descanse en paz.

nuestra comunidad académica.

Ciudad de México, a 1 de junio de 2026

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 2

The late great Ursa approves.

Ursa, an all-black Newfoundland dog, snoozes in a bathtub. Her chin is restin on the white tub edge, and the tile behind her is pink.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Jun 1

With alt text

4
Policy goes far beyond disqualifying persons currently or recently suffering from gender dysphoria. Some of those disqualifications are completely unexplained and have no reasonable justification. The sharp contrast to the Mattis Policy, adopted in the first Trump Administration, which allowed servicemembers who were transgender or who had suffered from gender dysphoria to remain in the military, appears to be driven by the bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group: persons who identify as transgender. As such, at this preliminary stage, I conclude that the Hegseth Policy is both arbitrary and based upon animus, and for those reasons the Policy violates Plaintiff-Appellees' constitutional right to equal protection of the law.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· May 19

Swam for the first time in many weeks and realized the reason I'm so sore right now is because I walked Miss Stubborn Dog, who sometimes just stops and refuses to move until you haul on her, on Sunday. Here is Miss Stubborn Dog being cute:

Wisp, a floofy Great Pyrenees dog, rests her head on the arm of a sofa and looks up at the camera.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· May 12

Wisp says that if you aren’t born with badger markings (non-white spots on a Great Pyrenees), you can get them aftermarket. Hers are from the mud trenches she digs in the yard.

A fluffy, white dog, seen from the rear, where she is covered in mud all over her hoes and back legs

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· May 11

Here is Noodles. He is very tired from endless playing in the pool and with the hose at Pet Paradise.

A black dog with a white muzzle blinks at the camera. He’s lying on a yellow kantha quilt.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· May 11

Home from Yaddo and just picked up Wisp and Noodles from Pet Paradise, where they got bathed and groomed. Here’s Wisp with her puppy cut.

A fluffy white dog with her hair cut short around her ears looks at the camera

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· May 6

I'll get to see these two goofballs on Monday! My time at Yaddo has been extraordinary, but it will be good to be home again.

Wisp, a floofy white dog with a smile on her face, and Noodles, a black dog with a white muzzle and chest and toes with an imploring look, gaze up at the camera in search of cuddles, treats, play, or all three. Wisp is seated on a tile floor and Noodles is next to her on a wood floor with a geometrically-patterned rug in reads and yellows.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· May 5

An homage to my being the “lady of the lakes” at Yaddo, plus one of Katrina Trask’s stained glass roses. Tattoo by Grace Peyton at Shark Tooth Tattoo in Saratoga Springs.

A black-and-white tattoo of a hand holding a sword coming out of ripples of water, with a red rose on the left-hand side

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· May 5

post your warning sign:

White letters on a red background read "Given enough Coke [the drink] I could rule the world"

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Apr 30

Tonight at Yaddo we're doing a table read of COMMON ROOM! I have enthusiastic volunteer readers and I can't wait to get feedback and questions and ideas for making it better.

A triangular college pennant in green and blue for the fictional Smythecliffe College for Women, est. 1893, where Common Room takes place. I picked 1893 because that's the year the Yaddo mansion was completed.

Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard (she/her)@kleonardphd· Apr 20

Giant turkey visitor outside my studio just now!