An Arkansas delta native, Kalina Smith is mostly a poet, though she also writes fiction and creative nonfiction. She teaches high school English and creative writing, where she spends her days nurturing young storytellers and navigating the emotional labor of the classroom. Outside of teaching, she enjoys spending time with her black cat, Gus, and her friends and family, trying to be a novice lepidopterist, attending way too many pop punk shows, and scaring herself with true crime and horror.
Her work appears in Nebo, The Ignatian, FLARE: The Flagler Review, ONE ART BY A Journal of Poetry, RedRoseThorns, and many others, with work forthcoming in Porcupine, Superfan, Micromance, and more. She served as poetry editor for Shadowplay during the Spring of 2025.
Instagram:
@kalinasmithpoetry
Website:
kalinasmith.com
Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: Kelsay Books (September 20, 2025)