What is your genre?
Poetry
Are you published?
Self published
What inspired you to become a writer?
Writing started as a necessity. It was my coping tool through the hardest experiences of my life. It was the only way I had to express myself and to understand my own thoughts and feelings. Poetry became as crucial to me as any other basic need.
By my college years, I began really honing the craft through creative writing classes and saw the impact my poetry was having on my classmates. After that, poetry became about more than myself. It became about helping others see that we’re not as alone as we may feel. It became about showing each other that we’re all going through something, and even if it isn’t the same hard things, we can at least understand each other a little better by talking about it.
Becoming a professional poet was inspired by other poets I admire and became friends with who were doing this full time too. I always knew I was meant to be doing something more impactful than occasionally sharing my work at a local open mic, slam, or workshop. When I saw others doing this as their career, I knew I had to make it happen. This was what I was meant to be doing. And here we are!
What author do you admire and how have they inspired your writing?
As a “hybrid poet” (a term I’m coining), there are four specific poets who have inspired my writing — two “page” poets and two spoken word poets. Somehow, they all rhyme with each other, which is funny considering I’m not much of a rhymer: Jamaal May, Ross Gay, Sarah Kay, and Phil Kaye. They each inspired my love for specificity, formatting, storytelling, and voice. I believe they’re each masters at what they do.
Name three of your favorite books and their authors
If I had to pick only three of my favorite books, I would have to choose:
How to Be Alone: When You Want to and Even When You Don’t by Lane Moore
Hum by Jamaal May
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
What’s one thing readers should know about you?
I don’t shy away from the uncomfortable conversations, because I believe we grow in empathy by talking about the hard stuff. Therefore, my writing will delve into topics like mental health, grief, eating disorders, relationships of all kinds, etc. It’s going to use a raw lens because I’d rather us be human together than to stifle what’s really happening.
What one piece of advice would you give to a budding writer?
No one is going to take you seriously unless you take you seriously. So you must always first believe in yourself, write because you want to write, and stay true to who you are. Chances are, there will be moments where you’re the only one who thinks you can do this. Keep going in those times, because you’re right. The support from others will come and go, but you will always be there for you. You’ve got this!
Author bio
Kelsey Bigelow is a poet who spends her time sharing this therapeutic tool with audiences of all ages. She is the author of four poetry projects, including her latest book Far From Broken. Her work is published with several presses and journals. Kelsey is a 2024 Pushcart Prize nominee, 2023 Button Poetry Video Contest Finalist, and 2023 Central Avenue Poetry Prize finalist. As a performer, Kelsey has worked with organizations like The Mayo Clinic, NAMI, Planned Parenthood, and more. Videos of her work are on Button Poetry, Write About Now and elsewhere. She’s the founder of the Des Moines Poetry Workshop, chair for the Iowa Poetry Association Poetry Slam, director for BlackBerry Peach National Poetry Slam, and more.
