Poetry

Black calligraphy pen and purple flowers resting on a page with handwritten lettering.

Writing, and particularly writing poetry, is a vital practice for me. It can also be playful and exploratory. My first chapbook, habitat, was published in March of 2023. It is available from Illuminated Press here and here. My first full-length poetry collection, heart of us, was published in December of 2024 and is available from Another New Calligraphy here. Other poems of mine have been published in several journals including Impossible Task, New Verse News, and Handsome. I was nominated for the Best New Poets anthology in 2015 and was shortlisted for Fatal Flaw’s poetry prize in 2024. I am pleased to be a poetry reader for The Adroit Journal.

A hand-bound book with pale ash wood covers stands open. The spine is lime green with visible stitches. habitat, poems by kai thigpen is emblazoned across the front cover and a logo that reads Illuminated Press is burned onto the back cover.
Salmon pink and royal purple book cover. The top half looks like wood grain and the bottom half has a white and lime green design branching out from the left. A lime green thread curves across. There is text that reads habitat, poems by kai thigpen.