Leo Butnaru is a writer from Moldova and Romania. He holds a degree in journalism and philology from the University of Moldova (1972). He has worked in publishing, as editor and editor-in-chief, at magazines such as, Moldovan Youth, Literature and Art, and Moldova. His first poetry publication was a chapbook, Wing in Light (1976). In 1977, he became a member of the Writers Union of the Soviet Union. In the same year, he is removed from the staff of Moldova Youth. He is a member of the Romanian Writers Union (1993). He is a founding member of the Moldovan PEN Center. From 1997 to 2005, he was president of the Chisinau branch of the Romanian Writers Union. He is on the board of the Romanian Writers Union.