Kevin McLellan

Poet

Cambridge, MA
Massachusetts US
Website: 
kevmclellan.com/

Author's Bio

Kevin McLellan is the author of: Sky. Pond. Mouth. (Yas Press, 2024), winner of the 2024 Granite State Poetry Prize and finalist for the Thom Gunn Award in Gay Poetry; in other words you/ (The Word Works, 2023), selected by Timothy Liu for the 2022 Hilary Tham Capital Collection; Ornitheology (The Word Words, 2018), finalist for the 2019 Massachusetts Book Awards; Tributary (Barrow Street, 2015); Round Trip (Seven Kitchens, 2010); and the book-objects: Hemispheres (Fact-Simile Editions, 2019) and [box] (letter [r] press, 2016), which reside in the special collections including: The Blue Star collection at Harvard University; Poetry Center at the University of Arizona, the University of Buffalo, and The History Project. Kevin lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts and teaches at the Solstice Low-residency MFA in Creative Writing at Lasell University. https://kevmclellan.com/

Education: 
Vermont College of Fine Arts–Writing MFA

Publications & Prizes

Anthologies:
In the Tempered Dark: Contemporary Poets Transcending Elegy (Black Lawrence Press, 2023)
,
The Experiment Will Not Be Bound (Unbound Edition Press, 2023)
,
Appreciating Tender Buttons: An Invitation to Play Volume I (Word Works, 2022)
,
Conversations (Unleash Press, 2022)
,
Essential Voices (West Virginia University Press, 2022)
,
Queer Nature (Autumn House Press, 2022)
,
Dream of the River (Jacar Press, 2021)
,
Voices Amidst the Virus (Lily Poetry Review Books, 2020)
,
CREDO: An Anthology of Manifestos & Sourcebook for Creative Writing (C&R Press, 2018)
,
They Said: A Multi-Genre Anthology of Contemporary Collaborative Writing (Black Lawrence Press, 2018)
,
Between: New Gay Poetry (Chelsea Station Editions, 2013)
,
Dogs Singing: A Tribute Anthology (Salmon Poetry (Ireland), 2010)
,
Spaces Between Us (Third World Press, 2010)
Books:
Sky. Pond. Mouth. (YAS Press, 2024)
,
In Other Words You/ (Word Works, 2023)
,
Ornitheology (Word Works, 2018)
,
Tributary (Barrow Street Press, 2015)
Chapbooks:
Hemispheres (Fact-Simile, 2019)
,
[box] (Letter [r] Press, 2016)
,
Round Trip (Seven Kitchens Press, 2010)
Journals:
Action, Spectacle
,
Adroit Journal
,
American Letters & Commentary
,
American Literary Review
,
Apple Valley Review
,
Architrave Press
,
Arkansas International
,
Autocorrect
,
Barnstorm Journal
,
Barrow Street
,
Beloit Poetry Journal
,
Bennington Review
,
Bloom
,
Bombay Gin
,
Booth
,
Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review
,
Buddhist Poetry Review
,
Café Review
,
Carve Magazine
,
Chariton Review
,
Chautauqua
,
Cherry Tree: A National Literary Journal at Washington College
,
Chiron Review
,
Colorado Review
,
Conduit
,
Contrary
,
december
,
Decomp
,
Denver Quarterly
,
Diagram
,
Dislocate
,
Dogwood: A Journal of Poetry & Prose
,
Drunken Boat
,
Ellipsis
,
Elohi Gadugi Journal
,
The Puritan
,
Exquisite Corpse
,
Failbetter.com
,
Folio
,
Fourteen Hills
,
Fourth River
,
Gargoyle Magazine
,
Ghost Proposal
,
Glass: A Journal of Poetry
,
Greensboro Review
,
Grist: The Journal for Writers
,
Hamilton Stone Review
,
Harvard Review
,
Hawai'i Review
,
Horse Less Review
,
Hoxie Gorge Review
,
Hunger Mountain
,
inch
,
Interim
,
Jelly Bucket
,
Journal of Compressed Creative Arts
,
Kenyon Review Online
,
Lily Poetry Review
,
Lines + Stars
,
Lodestar Quarterly
,
Louisville Review
,
Matter
,
McNeese Review
,
Meridian
,
Midway Journal
,
Nashville Review
,
Negative Capability
,
Ninth Letter
,
Ocean State Review
,
Orca, A Literary Journal
,
Oversound
,
Pacifica Literary Review
,
Pangyrus
,
Paperbark
,
Pilgrimage Magazine
,
Plath Profiles
,
Plenitude Magazine
,
Poemeleon
,
Poet's Market
,
Poetry East
,
Poetry Northwest
,
Posit
,
Potomac Review
,
Prelude
,
Puerto del Sol
,
Requited
,
Ruminate
,
The Rumpus
,
Salamander
,
Salt Hill
,
Seneca Review
,
Sixth Finch
,
Small Po[r]tions
,
Sonora Review
,
South Dakota Review
,
TSR: The Southampton Review
,
Southern Humanities Review
,
Spoke
,
Spoon River Poetry Review
,
Sugar House Review
,
Superstition Review
,
Crazyhorse
,
Tammy
,
Third Coast
,
THRUSH Poetry Journal
,
Timber
,
Tuesday; An Art Project
,
Typo Magazine
,
Versal
,
Verse Daily
,
Vinyl
,
Waterstone
,
Waxwing
,
West Branch
,
Western Humanities Review
,
Wicked Alice
,
Witness
Prizes won: 

Alexandria Peary selected Sky. Pond. Mouth. for the 2024 Granite State Poetry Prize which will be published by YAS Press in 2024. Sky. Pond. Mouth. was a finalist for the 2025 Thom Gunn Award.

Timothy Liu selected in other word you/ for the 2022 Hilary Tham Capital Collection and was published in 2023 by The Word Works.

ORNITHEOLOGY received honors at the 2019 Massachusetts Book Awards.

The  poem "Anonymity" won the 2016 Gival Press Oscar Wilde Award and the poem "Thereafter" won the 2015 Third Coast Poetry Prize judged by Ralph Angel.

 

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors: 
James Schuyler, Maurice Blanchot, Hans Faverey, Jorie Graham, Sylvia Plath

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
LGBTQ
Prefers to work with: 
Any
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
NH
New Hampshire
Raised in: 
NH
New Hampshire
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Sep 02, 2026