Biography
Kale Hensley is a poet and visual artist from West Virginia, now a born-again Texan. Their writing, rooted in queer mysticism, dissent, and a love of southern gothic, has appeared in Gulf Coast, Booth, Evergreen Review, Sonora Review, Epiphany, and other journals, with several nominations for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. They are the recipient of the 2026 Elmer Kelton Prize for Poetry and the winner of the 2026 Clarion Poetry Prize.
Education:
BA West Virginia University, English & Religious Studies
MFA Texas State University, Poetry
Education:
BA West Virginia University, English & Religious Studies
MFA Texas State University, Poetry
Research Interests
poetry and poetics, Christian mysticism, visual culture, hybrid forms and genre, lyric essay, medieval and classical literature, eco-criticism, embodiment studies, collage and text-image practice, composition pedagogy