Kelly Clayton is a writer, artist, and workshop facilitator. She is a Louisiana Creole with roots 15 generations deep.

Kelly recently completed “Dress for the Dance”, a three-month Project Space Residency supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, as administered by the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment of the Arts.

Her first collection of poetry, Mother of Chaos: Queen of the Nines was published by That Painted Horse Press. She is a VONA/ Voices, Hedgebrook Alumnae, and recipient of the Hedgebrook Women Authoring Change Award. Her poetry has been published by, among others: Future Cycle Press, Delacorte Press, China Grove Press, The Dead Mule Society of Southern Literature, and Random House. Kelly was awarded an Artist's Residency with the Acadiana Center for the Arts for the production of her original play, "Dancing With Aurora Borealis."

She develops and teaches bespoke writing workshops in Louisiana schools, both public and private, for the Lafayette Juvenile Detention Center, and to groups of formerly incarcerated adults.

She currently lives in New York City, and is agonizing over whether or not to get a dog.