Hi! I’m Kelly.
I've helped hundreds of writers establish creative habits, publish in literary journals, complete manuscripts, gain admission to MFA programs, and build writing lives they genuinely love.
I'm a poet, educator, and book coach who believes great writing doesn't happen through talent alone—it happens through consistent support, thoughtful feedback, and a clear path forward.
I'm the author of Future Tense (Alice James Books, 2026) and Boat Burned (YesYes Books, 2020). My poems have appeared in The Sun, Best New Poets, The Adroit Journal, 32 Poems, Los Angeles Review, Sixth Finch, and elsewhere. I'm the recipient of the Jane Underwood Poetry Prize and the Neil Postman Award for Metaphor.
Before becoming a full-time coach, I taught high school English and served as Director of Education for a national poetry nonprofit. I've also co-authored poetry curricula currently taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District, helping thousands of students discover the power of language and storytelling.
Whether you're trying to write stronger poems, finish a manuscript, prepare for publication, or simply make more space for your creativity, I'm here to help you move from intention to action.
Ready to invest in your writing?
Apply for coaching below and let's create a personalized roadmap to help you reach your goals, strengthen your craft, and build momentum that lasts.
REVIEWS
The Rumpus|Boat Burned urges us to get out of the water and let our rage become a storm. The last lines of the collection are a message for all of us who feel weighted down by this country: “They can’t sink us / if we name ourselves / sea.”
Tupelo Quarterly|These poems pass like soft pastries and worn beach glass between the teeth asking the reader to consider their own emotional cravings. “Women,” she admonishes, “keep / this world bloomdizzy. / Teach these teeth / to tender. We are swollen / with tomorrow. It’s time to holy / one another instead.”
Rhino| Thomas’s book is essentially a book of love and resilience, of reclaiming the vessel of the body with all of its perceived flaws and accepting the kind of love (both from self and others) that will varnish the hull, repair the leaks, call the vessel worthy, name it beautiful.
Cultural Weekly|Every poem in this collection matters. Every poem is a hook that both attaches us to our thoughts while simultaneously freeing our thinking. Thomas’s poems will both hold and sustain you.
LunaLuna Magazine | Sax wrote, “In this remarkable inaugural collection, Kelly Grace Thomas reminds us water is where we are from, water is what we are made of, and water is where we’ll return.” That’s enough to convince me.
INTERVIEWS
Four Way Review | “I had to learn Algebra Two, but no one taught me self love.” Kelly talks about self-love, womanhood and digging deep to find the hurt.
American Literary Review | I Have Always Been a Water Women
PANK: The Poetics of the Body | Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach interviews Kelly about writing, water, womanhood and much, much more.
Verse of April | Kelly discusses what poetry means to her and the authors that inspire her.
21 Questions with Rob McLennan | “When your army has crossed the border, you should burn your boats…” For Thomas, the borders of which she refers are that of the body and female agency, as her poems examine her physical and emotional self against trauma, toxic cultural expectations and body dysphoria.
PODCASTS
Poking Around | Poets and comedians discuss Kelly’s poem “For Those Who Have Been Waiting” and how it connects to confidence and Timothée Chalamet and a bunch of ideas for creatives in the active pursuit of their dreams.
Transitional Love | Kelly discusses her creative process, sharing work on social media, and her reaction to how people interpret her work.
Rattlecast | Rattle editor Tim Green talks to Kelly about metaphor, how she came to poetry, and what’s next.
Poetry Saloncast | Kelly discusses mining for metaphors and how she uses them, not just in one poem, but as a way to hold an entire collection together.
If It’s Not One Thing It’s Your Mother | Kelly discusses her body image, how it is passed down through the generations, and what we're teaching our kids about it, especially in our silent moments.