Kelsey L SmootKelsey L. Smoot (they/them/he/his) is a gender theorist, a committed Southerner, a writer, and a poet. Their work and writings explore the process of identity formation at the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality. Selfhood and cultural constrants-such as masculinity and its associated expectations- coalesce in their writing. Their auto-ethnographic style has become a lens through which they understand their experience traversing the US sociopolitical landscape.Having grown up bicoastal and spending most of their adult life in a state of transience, Kels draws from his eclectic life experiences both deep fear and great optimism regarding what people are capable of. This tension is reflected in his published writing, which can be found in Barely South Review, The Guardian, HuffPost, Voicemail Poems, The Amistad, and at their website, www. queerinsomniac.meWhen not writing, Kels can be found actively engaging with their community, performing at The Space (a premiere open-mic based in Kennesaw, Georgia), perusing an antique store, or running the streets with their bois. Read More Read Less