KAYTHEEPOET
Poet
KAYTHEEPOET
“Just a Girl and her Poems”
Bio: Kayla Dudley (she/her), also known as KayTheePoet, is a poet, artivist, and the CEO/Founder of healotry (heal-o-tree), a poetry organization dedicated to healing, storytelling, and social change through creative expression. Writing since the age of 11, her work explores societal issues, identity, and the intersections of race, gender, and justice, using poetry as both an artistic outlet and a form of activism that amplifies marginalized voices. Kayla has facilitated workshops at public schools, conferences, and universities, helping young people discover the healing and transformative power of writing. She has performed at organizations and events, including the Born This Way Foundation, the African American Day Parade in Harlem, and Black Girls Smile, among many others. As an intern and mentee with Girls Write Now, she expanded her presence within the poetry and literary community. Kayla earned her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Africana Studies from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing with a concentration in poetry at The New School. Her advocacy work includes collaborating with the Human Rights Campaign to educate college students about PrEP, helping coordinate the 2024 Girls Speak Out event at the United Nations for the International Day of the Girl, and serving as a Teaching Artist Assistant with 92nd Street Y, where she mentored high school students in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry writing.
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