She earned a bachelor’s degree in English education at Western Michigan University and spent two years living and teaching in greater New Orleans, an experience she credits with deepening her passion for place-based writing and learning. Her interests in race, gender, and education policy led her to Washington, DC, where she earned a master's degree in American Studies at the George Washington University, taught film and writing courses, and developed digital humanities lesson plans for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Kelly now works in education policy reform in New York City; like all places she’s called home, it inspires much of her writing. She has been published in Midwestern Gothic, the Laureate, and on the National Endowment for the Humanities educator blog.