Photo by Marshall Tidrick
Katelin Kelly is a poet, writer, and educator originally from Lexington, KY. She earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at Austin where she served as managing editor of Bat City Review. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Davidson College, with additional studies at Cambridge University, Oglala Lakota College, and Black Hills State University.
Kate began her teaching career at Little Wound Middle School in Kyle, South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Reservation, where she learned the importance of student voice and creative choice as pathways to celebrate every learner. She believes that reading and writing are essential tools for discovering one’s authentic voice and claiming empowerment. Her poetry and prose can be found in Action, Spectacle; Hobart; Electric Lit; Narrative; Porter House Review; and elsewhere. Kate teaches English and creative writing in central Texas in addition to serving as creative writing faculty chair for the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts. She is currently working on a nonfiction book about the life, poetry, and arcana of Elise Cowen. Her debut poetry collection Tuck, named as a finalist for the 2024 National Poetry Series, is forthcoming from Belle Point Press (fall 2026).