About Jonathan

Jonathan K. Rice, originally from Indiana, grew up in south Florida, and presently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and family. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and also did graduate work at Erskine Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary at Charlotte

In 2002 he co-edited a chapbook, Celebrating Life, a project funded by Barnes & Noble in celebration of National Poetry Month and in memory of Dorothy Perry Thompson, noted poet and instructor at Winthrop University.  He authored his first chapbook, Shooting Pool With A Cellist, in 2003. His most recent book, Ukulele and Other Poems, (Main Street Rag, 2006) is a full-length collection. His poetry has appeared in many periodicals, including The Aurorean, Blue Unicorn, Cold Mountain Review, Comstock Review, Gargoyle, HazMat Review, Kakalak, Main Street Rag, Pedestal, Sacred Journey, Slipstream, and Sundog: A Southeast Review. He has also been a longtime host of poetry readings in Charlotte since 1999.

He is editor and publisher of Iodine Poetry Journal, which he established in 2000.

Iodine Poetry Journal has had the distinction of having work included in Best American Poetry 2006, which was selected and edited by former U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins.

Iodine Poetry Journal has published noted poets Joseph Bathanti, Rick Campbell, Fred Chappell, Colette Inez, Ron Koertge, Dannye Romine Powell, R.T. Smith, Shelby Stephenson, Virgil Suarez, among many other emerging and established poets. Iodine has also published International poets from countries such as Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Qatar, U.K., and others.

Many university libraries subscribe to Iodine, including Brown University, Davidson College, Furman University, University of Arizona, University at Buffalo (SUNY), University of North Carolina, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Iodine is also archived at Poet’s House in New York City.

In 2012 Central Piedmont Community College awarded him The Irene Blair Honeycutt Legacy Award for oustanding service in support of local and regional writers.

Although he spends much of his time writing and editing, Jonathan is also a visual artist. He works primarily in acrylics on canvas, but also works with mixed media and assemblage. After Iodine Poetry Journal changed cover formats with the Fifth Anniversary Issue, Jonathan decided to feature his art on the cover of the magazine, garnering some attention. In a review, Philip Miller, writing for Literary Magazine  Review, commented on an issue, “Its handsome cover…features a sophisticated fusion of post-modern textures and colors with mid-twentieth century non-objective abstraction.”

His work has been exhibited at Hart Witzen Gallery, Green Rice Gallery, MoNA (Museum of Neighborhood Art, formerly known as Plaza Muse), and Jackson’s Java, a café in the University area of Charlotte. Some of his work has been featured in the online magazines The Pedestal and Referential Magazine.

Currently his work can be seen at Vin Master in Charlotte’s Southend, and Dilworth Coffee in Concord, NC.