Meet Collin Kelley | Poet, Novelist and Journalist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Collin Kelley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Collin, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
I began writing a screenplay called “Conquering Venus” in 1995 after an adventurous trip to London and Paris. I was able to find an agent pretty quickly and the script was read by some prestigious production companies, including Paramount Pictures, Avenet/Kerner Productions, and by Jodie Foster’s Egg Pictures. While the replies were all complimentary of the writing and story, it was ultimately rejected across the board. My agent suggested turning the screenplay into a novel in hopes that it might find a publisher and, ultimately, a film deal. It took two years to transform the screenplay into a novel, and I was able to find a great literary agent in New York. She was so certain the novel was going to be snapped up, that she urged me to begin writing a sequel. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, my agent made the first round of submissions to the big publishing houses. She would later call it the worst timing in the world. The centerpiece of “Conquering Venus” is a terrorist attack on the Paris metro. As America reeled from the 9/11 attacks, all the publishing houses summarily rejected the novel. My agent believed in “Conquering Venus,” so she continued to shop it to publishers large and small with no luck. Ultimately, the novel went back into my file cabinet and I turned to my first love, poetry. By 2003, my debut poetry collection was published and became a success. This pivot in my writing career meant the novel sat in a drawer for nearly eight years before I had the nerve to submit it one more time to a small publisher Thanks to my following after the publication of three poetry collections, I finally found a publisher for the novel that I had begun more than a decade earlier.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Anyone who tells you that becoming a published author is easy is a liar. It took nearly a decade of multiple agents and countless rejections before I found homes for my poetry and fiction. I took a chance on myself in 2003 and self-published my debut poetry collection. Luckily, it sold well and received complimentary reviews. This led to my next two collections being picked up by traditional publishers and eventually to my trilogy of novels finding a home with the award-winning Sibling Rivalry Press. In 2024, I am celebrating 30 years as a poet with a collection called “Wonder & Wreckage: New & Selected Poems, 1993-2023.” This collection took nearly six years to complete due to the COVID-19 pandemic and my subsequent diagnosis of a rare cancer called adenoid cystic carcinoma. Despite a grueling surgery, treatment and recovery, I continued to work on this career-spanning collection. The collection uses the language of cinema to tell the story of the AIDS crisis and the loss of my uncle, Terry Graves, and dear friend Christopher Jason Siddons to the disease. It’s the most personal and difficult work I’ve ever created. I am exhausted, but elated, that it is finally in the world.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am a native of Atlanta, Georgia and while we’ve grown into a cosmopolitan, international destination it still returns plenty of its Southern charm. One of my first stops for any visitor is the High Museum of Art in Midtown, which has its own stellar permanent collection as well as hosting the best touring exhibitions in the world – from Andy Warhol to Frida Kahlo. My favorite watering hole in the city is Manuel’s Tavern, a staple in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood for more than 60 years. It’s famously known for being a favorite spot of politicians and journalists (which happens to my day job when I’m not writing poetry and fiction) and serves up one of the city’s best burgers. Another must-visit stop would be the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Downtown Atlanta. Its collection of artifacts and papers from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement to the later LGBTQ+ rights movement is impressive and moving. While you’re Downtown, another must-see is the Georgia Aquarium, the largest in America, and home to Beluga whales, whale sharks, dolphins and many more species. If you want a trip back in time for authentic Southern food, head to The Colonnade for dinner. It’s been a fixture on the city’s dining scene for 97 years. The fried chicken, salmon croquettes, creamed corn and homemade rolls are out of this world. You can walk off that meal along the Atlanta BeltLine, a reclaimed railroad line that will eventually encompass 22 miles and encircle the city. Along the way, you pass some of the city’s most interesting neighborhoods, outdoor art and attractions. It’s the jewel in Atlanta’s crown.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This shoutout goes to my longtime publisher Sibling Rivalry Press and its owners, Bryan Borland and Seth Pennington. The multi-award winning small press specializes in LGBTQ+ poetry and fiction, publishing early work by noted writers Ocean Vuong, Saeed Jones, Kaveh Akbar, and Bushra Rehman. In 10 short years, Sibling Rivalry Press became a beacon for LGBTQ+ publishing with its entire catalog being added to the Library of Congress Special Collections. Sibling Rivalry went on to publish my own award-winning poetry collections “Render” and “Midnight in a Perfect World,” as well as my trilogy of novels – “Conquering Venus,” “Remain In Light,” and “Leaving Paris.”Bryan and Seth’s care and concern for my work – and that of all the authors – was rare and inspiring. They were not only my publisher and editor but also became my dear friends. Sibling Rivalry is on hiatus, but its books remain available and sought-after by readers. Sibling Rivalry’s place in literary history is forever cemented, and I am thrilled to have been part of it.

Website: https://www.collinkelley.com

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