I am a Des Moines-based poet, speaker, and educator who aims to be the motivator and mentor that not everyone gets in life. For the last decade, I’ve had the honor of sharing performances, keynotes, and workshops that engage in a trauma-informed conversation around mental health and overcoming odds to build an intentional and safe life. My poetry navigates C-PTSD, dissociative amnesia, grief, depression, and disordered eating — from their sources and identifying how they feel, to learning to move forward and create hope. I don’t shy away from uncomfortable experiences, because I believe we all can grow in empathy when we share in the vulnerability.

Part of telling my story is getting to tell the good side and helping others see that life does get better. I use my poetry as a conversation starter with my audiences to invite them to make decisions based on themselves rather than others. Poetry is a powerful tool that can ignite change and understanding, and I use that to inspire my audiences and get them thinking about what they can do in their own lives. This means my poetry work is a way for me to encourage others to never settle for anything less than what makes them happy – a lesson I learned through experience and can pass on through poetry.

I am the founder of the Des Moines Poetry Workshop, a teaching artist for various organizations around Des Moines, the coordinator for Poetry Palooza, the Poetry Slam Chair for the Iowa Poetry Association, a director for the BlackBerry Peach National Poetry Slam, and more.

Connect with me on my website: kelkaybpoetry.com