Candice
Kelsey
Writer
Welcome
Candice is a poet, educator, and activist
who believes in the generative power of language to transform a violent world.
BIO
Candice Kelsey
Candice Kelsey (she/her) is a poet, educator, and activist. Originally from Cincinnati, she received her Bachelor's degree in English from Miami University, Ohio, with an emphasis on epic poetry. She earned her Master's degree in English, with an emphasis on feminist theory, at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, a city she considers home and where she made a life for twenty-eight years. Candice lives bicoastal, splitting her time between Los Angeles and Augusta, Georgia. Candice loves all things opera, “Murder, She Wrote,” and the L. A. Dodgers.
She is currently a poetry reader for The Los Angeles Review and has previously served as a fiction reader for The New England Review as well as a poetry judge for Ageless Authors. She has received six Pushcart and two Best of the Net nominations while also being named a finalist for Best Microfiction. She is the author of a trade paperback parenting guide, three full-length poetry collections, two poetry chapbooks, and one prose chapbook. She mentors emerging writers and particularly loves working with the incarcerated population. Candice is currently seeking representation.
Recognition for Her Work:
Finalist, Best Microfiction, 2023
Winner, University of Cincinnati Library's Books by the Banks Writing Contest, 2022
Finalist, Teachers & Writers Collaborative Bechtel Prize, 2022
Finalist, Iowa Review Annual Poetry Contest, 2022
Semi-finalist, Meadowlark Press Birdy Prize, 2022
Finalist, Cutthroat Joy Harjo Poetry Prize, 2021
Winner, Two Sisters Micro Story Contest, 2021
Winner, Rebecca Laird Poetry Prize, 2020
Winner, Common Ground Poetry Contest, 2019
Listen to the Passengers Poetry Podcast discussing Candice’s contrapuntal poem “Aerodynamic Lift.”
Candice is available
for online or in person readings and workshops.
