Zoe Leonard’s oft-cited work, ‘I want a president’ was written by the artist in 1992 in response to poet Eileen Myles’s presidential bid alongside George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ross Perot. The text is emblematic of Leonard’s involvement with activist and feminist collectives; she began working in New York City in the 1980s, an era marked by heightened political awareness due to the enormous loss of the AIDS epidemic. Leonard’s piece continues to serve as a personal lament and a call to action.

On November 6, 2016, in advance of the 2016 general election, artists, writers, and poets convened for a reading revising Leonard's 1992 text. I Want a President: Transcript of a Rally documents contributions from a range of contributors who gathered to reflect upon political leadership and community action.