Birth City
Rockville
Birth State
MD
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Author
Biography

Kelly is a mixed-race writer who has always gravitated towards stories about crossing boundaries and forging new identities. Her upcoming young-adult novel, Agnes at the End of the World (Little, Brown, Young Readers, 2020), benefited from a We Need Diverse Books mentorship. Kelly has previously worked as a staff writer for Romper, covering issues important to women and families. When she's not writing, she's reading, cooking (with mixed results), or hiking in the gorgeous Colorado mountains. She lives in Colorado Springs with her partner and young daughter.

Awards/Honors
DOORMAT was a Junior Library Guild selection
Education/Training
Bachelor of Arts, English, Brown University, 2010 - Walnut Hill School for the Arts High School, 2006
Local Authors Genres
Organizations
Rocky Mountain Chapter Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
The Craft of Writing (young adult, science fiction; outlining) - The role of faith and prayer in my book and in coming-of-age literature - Spirituality and feminism in the science fiction tradition - As a Southwest native, growing up with the legacy Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS)(the polygamist cult whose crimes inspired the novel) - Writing apocalyptic fiction for a generation raised in the shadow of global warming - The impact of mainstream patriarchy on girls growing up in our society (and how feminist narratives can help make a better world) - How AGNES AT THE END OF THE WORLD benefited from a We Need Diverse Books mentorship (and how her biracial identity manifested in this story about forging your own identity from the ashes of injustice)