Author of "The Collection Plate," Kendra Allen

Born and raised in Dallas, Allen’s debut poetry collection, The Collection Plate, was published in 2021 (Time magazine called her “a poet to watch”), and her essay collection, When You Learn the Alphabet, won the 2018 Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction. Author Jami Attenberg calls Allen’s memoir, Fruit Punch, “a deeply visceral, vividly written tale of how to both survive and honor a complicated family. [She] has given us a loving memoir full of deep truths, dramatic moments, and undeniably gorgeous prose—how lucky we are to have her talents in the world.” Allen’s work has also been published by The Paris Review, High Times, and The Rumpus, and she writes “Make Love in My Car,” a music column for Southwest Review.

Sponsored by the Department of English and Creative Writing and the Beanstalk Fund.

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