About
ASHLEY TAYLOR (they/them) is a Kentucky poet and educator who designs inclusive programming for poetry workshops, writing programs, and performing arts events. Ashley is author of The Metamorphosis of Narcissus (Damaged Goods Press, 2019), part of a chaplet series by queer and trans poets, and the founder of Louisville reading series River City Revue. Their writing has been honored with a 2020 Artist Enrichment grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women and a Lambda Literary Fellowship from the Sundress Academy for the Arts in Knoxville Tennessee. Ashley also earned both an M.A. and B.A. in English with a minor in Linguistics from the University of Louisville, and is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Poetry at Spalding University. They are the current editor of the journal Transom with art editor Grace Kleinhelter. $KungFuAshley
Education
M.F.A. Spalding University [grad May 2021]
- Poetry
- Student Editor The Louisville Review
M.A. University of Louisville ⋅ May 2018
- English ⋅ Graduate Teaching Assistantship
- Graduate Editor Miracle Monocle
- Graduate Dean’s Citation Award
B.A. University of Louisville ⋅ December 2014
- English ⋅ Linguistics Minor
- Poetry Editor The White Squirrel
Community Engagement & Teaching Experience
I love to design research-based creative writing curriculum for poetry workshops that include scaffolding, generative writing. I have in experience teaching in academia and college-level, in community writing workshops across a variety of themes and forms, in writing centers, and as a volunteer for community literacy initiatives and programs.
“Embracing Multitudes”LLA Webinar on Imagery in Poetry 2020
“In Other Words”LLA Workshop, Exhibit, and Reading 2019
Productions:reading series, stage performance events, and more.
ACADEMIC CURRICULUM DESIGN
Syllabi and lesson plans for introductory writing courses. Students focus attention to craft mechanics and rhetorical value together as a foundation for their learning experience. They discuss writing as a social and rhetorical act, as an artistic process, and as something that gets better with guided practice.
PRESENTATIONS, Grants, & AWARDS
Most recently, I was awarded a 2020 Artist Enrichment Grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, and have received recognition as a Lambda Literary Fellow (2020) and a Melissa Grunthrow Fellow for Women and Non-Binary Writers (2019) at the Sundress Academy for the Arts in Knoxville, TN. I’ve also received academic and creative writing awards.
journal Reinventions & other editorial experience
I like to read for inclusive and diverse journals that advocate for the experimental. I excel with a team invested in discussions concerning the core of journal operations (design, communications, etc). I’ve been a Student Editor for The Louisville Review, Poetry Editor for Lemon Star Mag, and Graduate Editor of Miracle Monocle.
WRITING CENTER & TUTORING EXPERIENCE
I like to encourage visibility, inclusivity, and empowerment for all writers at any stage of their writing experience. I invest in dialogue, and I excel in a work environment that encourages enthusiasm, collaboration, and service.
creative collaborations & projects
Banner Art Installation Project
#KnowMoore Cultural Dialoguers
MFA Reverse-Ekphrasis w/ Aaron Lubrik
Community Literacy Programs + Initiatives