WELCOME TO SWEAT, TEARS, OR THE SEA
Sweat, Tears, or the Sea navigating the vulnerabilities and magic of being a woman, mother, and writer. Providing: Workshops. Community. Conversation.
As a free subscriber, you’ll receive:
Occasional posts and prompts
Sweat, Tears, or the Sea is also an online writing community that teaches you to express yourself more clearly and intentionally. The writing community is available to all of our paid subscribers.
Paid subscriber benefits include:
Exclusive writing (essays, craft tips, poetry) you cannot find anywhere else to show you how I’m pushing myself to a deeper creative level.
Take a look at some of my most popular posts below:Monthly workshops for beginning and experienced writers to help you master one aspect of your craft at a time. If you cannot make a workshop, all replays are available to watch at your convenience. (a $500 value)
Discounts on 1-to-1 editing and writing coaching opportunities with me
Sweat, Tears, or the Sea also offers an exclusive membership where Kelly can help you clarify your creative vision.
As an exclusive subscriber, you’ll receive:
Access to paid subscriber benefits
One free 30-minute 1-to-1 writing coaching session where we look deeply at your work to examine your strengths, patterns, and unmet potential
Discounts on 4-pack sessions
What People Say About Working with Me:
About me:
Qualifications and Experience:
Hi! I’m Kelly. Feral writer. Deep feeler. Relentless Momma. I’m an ocean-obsessed Aries from Jersey living in California, writing hard to become a deeper, more inspired thinker and feeler.
I’m the author of five books: Future Tense (forthcoming from Alice James 2026) Boat Burned (YesYes Books); Words Ignite: Explore, Perform, Write Classic and Spoken Word Poetry; Voices in Verse: Poetry, Identity and Ethnic Studies; Stanzas of America: Celebrating BIPOC Poetry. I’m also the winner of the Jane Underwood Poetry Prize and the Neil Postman Award for Metaphor. My poems have appeared in The Adroit Journal, Best New Poets, 32 Poems, Los Angeles Review, Sixth Finch, and elsewhere. I’ve received fellowships from Randolph College, the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, and Kenyon Review Young Writers’ Workshop. I’m the former Director of Education for Get Lit-Words Ignite, and the craft books and curricula I’ve written are taught in Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest district in the country.
Most importantly, I landed a book deal with my dream publisher before taking a formal workshop. Everything I learned, I learned by teaching myself to read closely and write strategically, by letting my creativity lead, and I can teach you to do the same.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
For those of you working on a collection or chapbook, I offer personalized editing, as well as coaching, to help you prepare for publication.
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. I hope to write with you soon.
Sending oceans of gratitude.
Shine on,
Kelly
Some other places you can find me:
