info + connect
Ashley Taylor is a non-binary poet and MFA candidate at Spalding University’s School of Professional and Creative Writing. They curate, promote, and design inclusive programming for creative writing workshops and performing arts events. Ashley earned an MA in English from the University of Louisville, where they served as graduate editor of Miracle Monocle, writing instructor of college composition and intro to creative writing, and facilitator of UofL’s LGBTQ Creative Writing Group. They are the founder of the Louisville reading series River City Revue, the author of The Metamorphosis of Narcissus (Damaged Goods Press, 2019), and a teacher at the Jewish Community Center in Louisville KY.
education
MFA Spalding University
MA University of Louisville
BA University of Louisville
poetry chaplet publication
The Metamorphosis of Narcissus, 2019 Damaged Goods Press. Part of the Chaplet Series featuring booklets of poetry by queer and trans poets.
COMMUNITY LITERACY INITIATIVES
The writing process and the development of a writer’s poetic voice teaches student writers how to understand the writer-self (Teicher), and my creative writing workshops are less about critique or analysis of a text, and more about students experiencing a first audience for their writing. I fulfill the role of a collaborator and aim for student empowerment in which the process of discovery is foundational.
ACADEMIC CURRICULUM DESIGN
Syllabi and lesson plans for introductory writing courses. Much like ourselves, writing is fluid and organic––and my philosophy of art, practice, process aims to demystify the standardization of final products as fixed. 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 practice.
PRESENTATIONS + AWARDS
Most recently, I’ve received recognition as a Melissa Grunow Fellow for Women and Non-Binary Writers at the Sundress Academy for the Arts and as a Semi-Finalist for the Gazing Grain 2018 All-Genre Chapbook Contest for The Metamorphosis of Narcissus. I’ve also recieved academic and creative writing honors, including being selected as student writer for several Axton master class workshops and participating in Rhetoric and Composition pedagogy discussions and conferences.
journal Reinventions + other editorial experience
I like to read for inclusive 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 in discovering more about who the writers are as individuals and as a group. I excel in a work environment that encourages enthusiasm, collaboration, and service.
CREATIVE CONSULTING + COLLABORATIONS
I like to engage in multi-disciplinary and purpose-driven collaborative projects that promote diversity and inclusion, resources, and creative programming. I am especially drawn to serve as a writer and/or creative consultant on a diverse team that advocates social justice and art for art’s sake.