Emily A. Benton

After following Collin Kelley’s blog for over a year, I finally got to meet the poet and writer last February in his stomping grounds of Atlanta. I was absolutely tickled pink after Collin offered to meet at a bar for dinner, and it was even better to find him to be as real in person as he is on his blog. And by that, I mean I found him full of hilarious rants and raves for all deserving topics, and also someone gushing with knowledge and experience about the “po-biz.”

Along with several other online poet bloggers, I appreciate Collin because he’s helped ground me as an aspiring writer. I admire him for his confidence in self-publishing, for his no-nonsense approach to the writer’s market, and for his perseverance as a novelist. And damn, where does he find the time, in addition to editing full-time and writing/publishing his own work on the side, to update his blog almost daily?

Indeed, on and off the page, Collin’s work is timely and powerful. His most recent poetry book, After The Poison, is a great example of poetry with a purpose. His poems dive into the past decade of American lifestyles, commenting on his own life as well as those of the voiceless and the newsworthy.

And now, Collin has emerged as a fiction writer. I recently read a preview chapter from the beginning of his novel, Conquering Venus. It will be interesting to see how this book is received, especially since its main characters wrestle with topics such as suicide, sexuality, depression, temptation, and escapism (and that’s just in the first chapter). Equal parts drama and thriller, it has potential to be a page-turner, while also appealing to readers who desire literature with attention to structure and language. But where other authors may be pigeonholed into certain genres for their choices in subject matter, Collin is worth checking out for his blending of the political with the everyday. He handles tough subjects in his writing with the forcefulness of a punch and the precision of a scalpel. Plus, it’s nice, after all, to read work that isn’t afraid to piss a few people off. But if you fall on right (left?) side of the fence with Collin, I think he’s nothing but a sweet Southern boy at heart.

Name: Collin Kelley

Age: 39

Astrological Sign: All Virgos are mad

Website: www.collinkelley.com

Place: Atlanta (otherwise known as Hot’lanta or The ATL)

What are you working on right now? The second novel in a trilogy that begins with Conquering Venus, forthcoming this summer from Vanilla Heart Publishing.

How long does it usually take you to get from start to finish? In the case of Conquering Venus, nearly 15 years. Obviously, I’m in no hurry.

What is your greatest accomplishment thus far? Having a writing career on my own terms.

What is something you have done to improve your creative and productive life? Taking workshops with other great poets and writers, traveling solo across America and Europe and buying a MacBook. 

What do you need to make your work better? Miles Davis, a glass of wine and a wi-fi connection.

Tell us something you learned recently while working on a project: That writing poetry almost exclusively for the last five years has sharpened my fiction writing skills.

On a Friday night, I could find you ____: At a poetry reading or watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and doing laundry.

What are you consuming this month? PJ Harvey’s and John Parish’s new album, A Woman A Man Walked By, which is brilliant. I also can’t stop listening to Neko Case’s new one, Middle Cyclone, and if you haven’t heard Vanessa Daou’s new record of jazz/pop and spoken word, Joe Sent Me, buy it immediately. Kristin Scott Thomas in the French film, I’ve Loved You So Long, was the performance of 2008. She was robbed of an Oscar nomination. Put it on your Netflix queue. Carrie Fisher’s memoir, Wishful Drinking, made me laugh out loud.

What scares you? Christian right-wing crazies who try to strip people of their civil and human rights.

You feel guilty when ______: a book has been sitting on my bedside table unread for months because I watch Letterman instead of reading before bed.

What projects do you have lined up/What are some of your goals for the coming year? I’ll be promoting the hell out of Conquering Venus with appearances at the Decatur Book Festival on Labor Day weekend, at the West Hollywood Bookfair on Oct. 4, among others. I’m also hoping to finish the first draft of the second novel.

Define: “success”: When you have made your daydreams reality.