We had the good fortune of connecting with Kelsey Bryan-Zwick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kelsey, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“Wouldn’t it be nice if…” This short phrase was taught to me by my dear friend Gerard Wozek. My mind can be a bit of a worrier: my imagination runs wild with possibilities. This little string of words replaced the , “but what ifs,” that often plagued me. Now instead of imagining the worst outcomes I relish in the possible pleasures. I think it is a perfect ‘mind spell,” which is what Gerard called it, and has fundamentally changed my daily thinking practice. “Wouldn’t it be nice if,” has ground me in what I do want in my life, instead of focusing on protecting myself from what I don’t want. How I do love leading a creative life! After years in pursuit of this vision I can now boast about winning awards in film making, art, fiction, and most recently a Pushcart Prize in poetry!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What happens when rogue scholars team up? Well at The Poetry that’s what we’re here to find out. At The Poetry Lab poets gather to learn and practice the craft of poetry. Founded by Danielle Mitchell The Poetry Lab met every two weeks in-person in downtown Long Beach for workshops lead by visiting instructors and by Danielle Mitchell herself. In 2020 The Poetry Lab went virtual, like many organizations at the time, it was the only way to keep the program going.

Virtual programing made The Poetry Lab more accessible and Danielle Mitchell decided it was time to make it a full-time gig. It was then that she began to invite collaborators, fellow self-guided learners who wanted to develop programing to support the community of poets outside traditional academic spaces. I was lucky to be the first person to join up as virtual and accessible workshops are precious to me as a disabled author.

The Poetry Lab has expanded our team and now I hold the role of Assistant Director. We model our programming after our own needs and desires as poets. We are first and foremost students and attend workshops regularly ourselves. The team rotates teaching a monthly generative workshop called the BrainTrust and this summer we had longer four-week courses lead by visiting authors Nicelle Davis and Dr. Taylor Bayes. We also hold space for revision and editing poetry in The Feedback Circle that helps establish respectful and helpful language when it comes to talking about each other’s poetry in progress.

It has been a road we’ve had to invent along the way. Between workshops we’ve faced breakups and losses, teammates have moved cross country, adopted pets, changed jobs and careers. We all come from a world that doesn’t make much time for poetry so we’ve had to find ways to carve it out for ourselves, and as a group we hold each other accountable to this dream. Our model keeps adjusting for our human needs and to find some financial means of keeping our doors and minds open. We are so grateful to have received a much appreciated grant this year from The Poetry Foundation that will help us keep us going into the next year.

In addition to workshops we’ve curated a multifaceted learning hub. We have a space to discuss books as a community called the BookBash: a monthly place to get into the details of a single text. We wanted more resource for poets that help demystify the practice of writing poetry, resources that make it easy to understand and inviting to engage in so we started our own Resource Center. There we publish weekly articles, written and edited-in house by the team, for us and our community. Now we’ve even got a podcast in the works for those in-between moments where you might just need ten or fifteen minutes of inspiration as you brush your teeth or drive to work.

I love what I get to do at The Poetry Lab. The pandemic threw us all through a loop and on the daily there was struggle. This vision though, this place where community continues to gather, and share and feel, keeps me going in so many ways. Writing is already a lonely business but what I have learned is that it doesn’t have to be. If you are looking for a place to learn and write that centers community, holding safe space, and respecting each other as poets, The Poetry Lab is the place you’re looking for. We now have participants from all over the world attending workshops, folx on many levels of their writing journeys. If you’ve never published a poem, or are on your fourth book, we’re here for you!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
With my disability and being an introvert, I am quite the homebody, and have the cats to prove it. There are of course community hubs that draw me out with their genuine vibes. I am always excited to see the latest exhibit at the Museum of Latin American Art, the first museum in the nation to focus on Latin American Art it also boasts a lovely cactus sculpture garden on site.

My favorite brunch and coffee place is Wide Eyes Open Palms, everything I’ve tried keeps me looking forward to my next visit. In that same 4th St. Retro Row area is a little spot next to the Art Theater, The HipPea, where I get the best, most delicious fries. After a film at the Art Theater, it is wonderful to walk around and stop in at my favorite bookstores: Bel Canto and Page Against the Machine.

For night life I love a poetry show at Beyond Baroque or I’d go to see one of my fave singers Alyssandra Nighswonger and Shy But Flyy wherever they might be playing and grab a cocktail and appetizer as I listen. I like places steeped in culture and good folx which makes living in LA pretty amazing, from nights in with the cats to good company and eats there is always something to enjoy.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Every year I become more grateful for my friends, this year is no exception. Whether over drinks, meals, phone calls, emails, zooms, the dear ones pull through to celebrate wins and comfort in loss. So thankful to my kindred spirits out there in the world in solidarity and respect. The folx at The Poetry Lab, LA Poets Society, Moon Tide Press, and Beyond Baroque have all been amazing to work with and I highly recommend checking them out.

Website: https://kelseybryanzwick.wixsite.com/poetry

Instagram: @theexquisitepoet

Twitter: @exquisitepoet

Youtube: @theexquisitepoet

Other: To purchase my book, Here Go the Knives https://www.moontidepress.com/books

Image Credits
Author Logo illustration by Danielle Mitchell. Photo by Jessica Wilson Cardenas at Beyond Baroque: Kelsey Bryan-Zwick hosting the Queer Writers Festival panel with authors, Estephanie Seis and Missy Fuego.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.