Collin Kelley Biography

2007-11-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

Photo by Krystyna FitzGerald-Morris

Middle and above photos by Brent Sturgis

Collin Kelley is a novelist, poet and playwright from Atlanta, Georgia. His second novel, Remain In Light (Vanilla Heart Publishing), is available now in eBook format, followed by the trade paperback in January 2012. His critically acclaimed debut novel, Conquering Venus (Vanilla Heart Publishing), was released in 2009. His debut collection of poetry, Better To Travel, was nominated for the 2003 Georgia Author of the Year Award, Kate Tufts Discovery Award and Lambda Literary Award. His first spoken word album, HalfLife Crisis, released in 2004, is available at iTunes and CD Baby. MetroMania Press published a limited-edition chapbook, Slow To Burn, in 2006. Seven Kitchens Press re-issued Slow To Burn as part of its ReBound Series in August 2011. A chapbook of political poetry, After the Poison, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2008. He is a multiple Pushcart Prize nominee and a recipient of the 2007 Georgia Author of the Year/Taran Memorial Award from the Georgia Writers Association at Kennesaw State University for poetic excellence and his work as co-editor of the Java Monkey Speaks Anthology Vol. 2. He was the inaugural Writer-In-Residence for Poets & Writers Inc. blog in spring 2011, discussing grants and workshops.

Kelley's poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Atlanta Review, The Chattahoochee Review, Scythe, Creative Loafing, Ecotone, Ouroboros Review, Hobble Creek Review, MiPOesias, Locuspoint, Limp Wrist,Contemporary American Voices, Motel 58, In Posse Review, The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, Blue Fifth Review, poeticdiversity, Terminus, New Delta Review, Chiron Review, Split Shot, In Motion, Poetz, The Pedestal, Lily, Blaze, d'Arts, Welter, Poetry Super Highway, Velvet Mafia, The Harrow, Alternative Arts and Literature, SubtleTea, Offerings, Sophomore Jinx, Press 1, Assaracus, International Gallerie, Tears In The Fence, New Trespass and HomeGround.

Kelley's work has been anthologized in A Face to Meet the Faces: An Anthology of Contemporary Persona Poetry (forthcoming from University of Akron Press, 2012), Diving Divas (forthcoming from Lethe Press, 2012) Don't Blame the Ugly Mug (Tebot Bach), CRUX: A Conversation in Words and Images (Fulton County Arts Council/Caversham Press), A Slice of Cherry Pie (Half Empty/Half Full Press; The Private Press), di-verse-city 2005 and 2006 (Austin International Poetry Festival Anthology), Walking Higher, Shout Them From the Mountain Tops: Georgia Poems, Java Monkey Speaks Anthology Vols. 1, 2 & 3 (Poetry Atlanta Press, Kelley is co-editor), Red Light: Superheroes, Saints & Sluts (Arsenal Pulp Press), Nine Tenths of the Law (Word Diversity Collective Press), The Thrill and The Hurting: Poems and Art Inspired by Kate Bush (Morning Fog Press, Kelley is co-editor) and We Don't Stop Here (The Private Press). An essay on French actress Jeanne Moreau is included in the anthology My Diva: 65 Gay Men On The Women Who Inspire Them (2009, University of Wisconsin Press). In 2009, Kelley guest edited a special edition of OCHO literary magazine featuring poets on Twitter and appears alongside poets Natasha Trethewey, Beth Gylys, Mike Dockins, Jon Goode, Alice Lovelace and more on the Poetry Atlanta DVD anthology, Trouble & Hope.

He also created two spoken word performances -- Two Voices (1994) and Poems for Conquering Venus (1995) -- which premiered on Georgia Tech's WREK radio station program, Advise and Dissent. His freelance features and reviews have appeared in many regional and national publications, including Georgia Magazine, The Guide, Georgia Journal and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His interview with acclaimed German director Wim Wenders was published inMovieMaker magazine in 2003, while his interview with poet/musician Vanessa Daou appeared in Ourboros Review in 2009.

His play, The Dark Horse, was the recipient of the 1994 Deep South Festival of Writer's Award for Best Play from the University of Louisiana. The play also won the Georgia Theatre Conference Award in 1997 for Best Play and was re-staged in 2005 by Theatre Gael in Atlanta.

Kelley has been invited to read at venues both nationally and internationally, including featured readings in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, London, Austin International Poetry Festival, National Black Arts Festival and Poetry At Tech. He is the recipient of numerous reading/workshop grants from Poets & Writers. Kelley leads workshops on submitting, publishing and marketing poetry, including using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. He has guest lectured on social media at the Saints & Sinners Liteary Festival in New Orleans, Decatur Book Festival and at Worcester College at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. He is a "master poet" for the Poetry Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts annual Poetry Out Loud recitation project, visiting Atlanta schools and judging semi-finalists for the national competition each Spring in Washington D.C. He hosted the 2006 Georgia finalist competition for Poetry Out Loud, which was televised on PBS.

He is co-director of the Atlanta Queer Literary Festival, sits on the board of Poetry Atlanta and on the advisory council for Georgia Center for the Book. By day, Kelley is the managing editor for Atlanta Intown newspaper. He has been a journalist for more than 20 years. From 2004 to 2008, Kelley hosted the Internet poetry show The Business of Words on Leisure Talk Radio Network. Episodes can be downloaded from the LTRN archive at this link.

E-MAIL COLLIN: collinkelley@gmail.com
FOLLOW COLLIN: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About Collin Kelley

Collin Kelley Biography