Kimberly Esslinger

I’m a poet, organizer, and Marriage and Family Therapist Trainee based in Southern California. I write, make things, bring people together, and I’m training to become a therapist.

Over the years, I’ve led writing groups, process groups, recovery workshops, poetry readings, and community events. I’ve helped organize marches, rallies, and direct actions. I’ve also produced podcasts and documentary projects focused on lesbian and queer history because I care about what gets remembered, what gets lost, and who gets to tell the story.

I founded Morning Writes, SNAP!, and Dykes After Dark, and I’ve created readings, workshops, and conversations that bring writers, artists, activists, and community members together.

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

Right now, I’m completing my MA in Counseling Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute and training as a Marriage and Family Therapist. I’m especially interested in depth psychology, creativity, identity, aging, recovery, meaning, and the stories we carry.