Karen Kelsay

Poet Karen Kelsay, is the author of the poetry collections Amytis Leaves Her Garden (White Violet Press, 2012), Lavender Song (Fortunate Childe Publications, 2011), and the chapbook A Fist of Roots (Pudding House Press, 2009). Her poems have appeared in many journals, including Mezzo Cammin, The Raintown Review, The Lyric, The New Formalist, Angle: Journal of Poetry, The Hypertext, and String Poets. She has received the Fluvanna Prize and an honorable mention from The Lyric magazine. In 2012 she received the Association for Mormon Letters Award for best poetry book of the year for Amytis Leaves Her Garden.

Kelsay is the founder and editor of Kelsay Books, a growing publishing company that publishes poetry full-length books written by mid-career poets. She is also the former editor of Victorian Violet Press, an online magazine that published quarterly for five years, showcasing formalist poetry coupled with fine art images. She lives with her husband in Hemet, California.