معرفی
Kimberly Ann Priest is an assistant professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures at Michigan State University. A neurodivergent writer and 2024 Backwaters Prize winner, her work interrogates gendered violence, ecological systems, and spiritual narratives through poetry and creative nonfiction.
Her educational journey includes:
- Bachelor of Arts in English Language & Literature from Regent University
- Master of Arts in English Language & Literature from Central Michigan University
- Master of Fine Arts in Poetry/Nonfiction from New England College (completed mid-life while raising children)
Priest's research centers on gender-based trauma, ecopoetics, and disability studies, exploring how personal histories of religious abuse and displacement intersect with environmental justice. Her scholarship integrates therapeutic writing practices with feminist and ecofeminist frameworks, drawing from her upbringing along Lake Superior and Scottish immigrant heritage.
Her publications consistently examine rewilding, endangered species, and narrative healing, blending poetic innovation with critical analysis of trauma recovery. Works like "Wolves in Shells" and "tether & lung" demonstrate her signature fusion of personal and planetary ecologies.
Major recognitions include:
- 2024 Backwaters Prize in Poetry
- American Best Book Awards finalist (2021)
- 2019 Heartland Poetry Prize
- Brooklyn Girls Books prize
- Residencies at Monson Arts, SAFTA, Owsley Fork, and Proximity Writer's House
As an educator, she mentors young writers through The Telling Room in Portland, Maine, while her editorial work with Nimrod International Journal spans six years. Her fellowships directly support community-focused creative research on survivorship and nature-based healing.
