r. kay is a queer trans poet currently in Western Massachusetts by way of Brooklyn, southern Appalachia and other beautiful, strange places. Their work can be found in Copper Nickel, HAD, Catapult, Glass, Yes Poetry, Bedfellows, the West Review and elsewhere. They graduated from the University of Tennessee with a BS in Quantitative Methods in Economics and Math. Outside of poetry, they have over a decade of experience in product & service design. In lieu of higher-ed, they've chosen an MFA of engagement and are grateful to have studied with Jay Desphande, Shira Erlichman, Paul Tran and others. In 2020, they studied under Angel Nafis in Catapult’s year-long poetry intensive. They currently serve as executive director at Brooklyn Poets and are at work on their debut poetry collection.