Hi! I’m Kelly.

I am a writer, performer, and producer with book smarts, feelings smarts, and a radical political agenda.

My work explores the ways political and aesthetic structures affect our everyday experiences of embodiment, care, and connection. I started my career as an Assistant Professor of Performance Studies at Arizona State University, where I taught and wrote about feminism and experimental performance. These days, I take the things I learned as a researcher, educator, and art-maker and integrate them into pop culture. Basically, I make things like TV shows and live performances a little sharper, a little weirder, and a little more compassionate.   

My most recent project, the 4-part docu-series, We Need To Talk About Cosby, will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22nd, 2022 and on SHOWTIME on January 30th. Current projects include working as VP of Production for W. Kamau Bell’s WKB Industries, consulting on the CNN docu-series United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell, and performing an autobiographical solo show about body politics.

I have a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and I graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. from Tulane University. I care a lot about dismantling white supremacy and making the world safer for bodies of all sizes, genders, and sexualities. I also like strength sports and convincing loved ones to watch my favorite TV shows. Have you seen Better Things yet?!

Original Illustrations by Kiki Burghardt