Kimberly Esslinger

I’m a poet, organizer, and therapist-in-training with a lot of interests and a love of a good project.

My work moves between poetry, facilitation, community organizing, and depth-oriented psychotherapy training — different practices that share the same impulse: helping people access what they already know, and giving them what they need to make their own choices.

I’ve run writing groups, process groups, recovery workshops, and community events. I’ve organized rallies, marches, and direct action. I’ve produced podcasts and documentaries to make sure queer histories are preserved and seen as what they are — sacred.

I founded Morning Writes, an ongoing writing collective, and SNAP!, an independent poetry and arts project supporting literary and queer cultural work. I also organize readings, workshops, and public conversations that bring writers, artists, activists, and community members together across generations.

My poetry has appeared in Smartish Pace, Chiron Review, Spillway, Calyx, Los Angeles Review, and Sinister Wisdom. I hold an MFA from California State University, Long Beach and received the Donald Drury Award for Poetry.

I’m currently completing graduate training in marriage and family therapy, with a focus on depth psychology, creativity, aging, LGBTQ+ community, and collective healing.