Kimberly Vargas Agnese

Poet

Fresno, CA
California US
Website: 
www.kimberlyvargasagnese.com

Author's Bio

Kimberly Vargas Agnese has served as a youth pastor / special needs educator and literacy coach in Fresno’s inner city for over 30 years. Currently occupied as a Chicana poet, she advocates alongside those who are abandoned, abused, and oppressed.

Kimberly’s full-length collection, Red String on a Saguaro Cactus was named a finalist for the 2022 Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize, awarded biannually by the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Her first collection, Kadupul Flower (Green Writers Press) releases Oct. 14th, 2025.

Publications & Prizes

Anthology:
In the Garden (Torrey House Press, 2022)
Book:
Kadupul Flower (Green Writers Press, 2025)
Journals:
Common Ground Review
,
Jewish Literary Journal
,
Jewish Writing Project
,
Last Stanza Poetry Journal
,
One Sentence Poems
,
Prickly Pear
,
Rappahannock Review
,
Rue Scribe
,
Seventh Wave
,
Snapdragon
,
Underwood
,
Unstamatic
Prizes won: 

Finalist, 2022 Andres Montoya Poetry Prize (Institute for Latino Studies, University of Notre Dame)

Watch

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors: 
Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, Lucy Maude Montgomery, Ralph Waldo Emerson, G.K. Chesterton, St. Thomas Traherne, Jerry Spinelli
What I'm reading now: 
The Bible by

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
Biracial, Christian, Hispanic, Latino/Latina/Latinx, Mexican American, Mixed-Race, Multicultural, Multiethnic, Native American, White
Prefers to work with: 
Adults, Homelessness, Naturalists/Environmentalists, Schools, Seniors, Teachers, Women
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
Marathon, FL
Florida
Raised in: 
Fresno, CA
California
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Jun 16, 2025