Shirley Anne Leonard (formerly known as Shirley Poirier Malmgren) studied at Carl Sandburg College, where she earned the Certificate in Desktop Publishing and received other awards. Author of more than 750 poems, she became editor of WestWard Quarterly in 2003, succeeding Marsha Ward.

In addition to WestWard Quarterly, Shirley Anne has published five chapbooks through Laudemont Press. Her poetry has appeared in Time of Singing: A Magazine of Christian Poetry, Ancient Paths: A Journal of Christian Literature, and The FORESEE. Several of her poems have also been published online by Reconciliation Press and Cross Way Publications. She has been a member of Christian Writers Fellowship International and is a member of the Illinois State Poetry Society.

Mrs. Leonard, mother of five and grandmother of eight, is associated with her husband, Dr. Richard C. Leonard, in the work of Laudemont Ministries, Hamilton, Illinois. A selection of her poems appears on the Laudemont Ministries web site.