Dr. Robert Leonard
Opinion Columnist and Author
Robert Leonard is an occasional contributor to The New York Times, the Kansas City Star, the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the Des Moines Register, TIME, FERN, USA Today, and many other publications. Much of his written work covers rural issues, including politics, agriculture, immigration, food security, and climate change.
Before he retired he interviewed over 8,000 Iowans for KNIA/KRLS Radio in Knoxville/Pella/Indianola.
He has appeared on “Reliable Sources” on CNN, “Meet the Press Daily” with Chuck Todd, MSNBC with Katy Tur, MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle, Iowa Public Television’s Iowa Press, Iowa Public Radio’s “River to River” and “Talk of Iowa”, WNYC and more.
An anthropologist, Leonard is also the author of dozens of scholarly papers and books. A book of short stories and poetry about rural life titled “Deep Midwest” was published by Ice Cube Press of North Liberty in 2019. He also writes a free newsletter, “Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture.”