Author: Kaitlyn Bolyard

The Kenosha Book Festival is back at Studio Moonfall for our fourth chapter of 2026! Save the date for Sunday, July 19th, from 10am to 3pm, at Wisconsin’s indie-est of indie bookstores, Studio Moonfall, located at 5031 7th Avenue.

Join us for a Book-tacular Christmas in July with a wintery frozen for Princess Storytime from 10am to noon, pizza cones getting served up by Deliciosos (just like the elves eat in the North Pole), and a ton of guest authors:

• Richard Sweitzer
• Amy Frances
• Anne Miller
• Kelly Edwards
• J.B. Corgard
• Amy Leigh Sazama
• Steve Tindall
• Kristin A. Oakley
• Audrey Wilson
• Meadoe Hora
• Will Miracle
• Amy L. Sauder
• Michael J. Stiehl
• Z. Jeffries
• Erin Hayden
• Doug Solter
• Deborah Toth
• Scott Bohmbach
• Kaitlyn Bolyard
• J.R. Blanes

Given that we were snowed out on my original date at Harbor Market, I will be at the indoor market on December 20th this month. At least this gives me time to order new bookmarks, and I will be completely done with grading student portfolios and essays by then. Here are the details!

• Women’s Club of Kenosha – 6028 8th Ave. Kenosha, WI
• Time: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• www.kenoshaharbormarket.com

Migration of Bluesky Poetry As you may know, I have historically used Facebook social media posts as fodder for my (found) poetry. Lately, my Facebook feed has been quite lackluster, with more ads than actual content. As a result, I have started using Bluesky more frequently. If you’d like to see what I’ve been making, or at least get a glimpse, I recommend following me on this new platform at @kaybolya.bsky.social. In the meantime, here is one of my recent poetry/image combos (I should come up with a name for these). Note, as you can likely tell, these are also more politically minded.

Happy Holidays & Gift-Giving I hope you all have a great holiday, regardless of what you do (or don’t) celebrate. If you’re giving gifts this season, I hope you’ll consider my books as a possible option. Come to the Harbor Market on the 20th to see me in person and get a signed copy! If you’re unable to attend, you can visit my website and purchase books online. Either way, I always appreciate your support : )

Dear readers,

I sincerely apologize for getting my dates mixed up! While I would love to see you all today, I will unfortunately not be at the Winter Harbor Market until next week. I will be at the Studio Moonfall booth on Nov. 29th from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. I apologize for any trouble this may have caused you, but if you visit today, you’ll have the opportunity to meet my wonderful author friend, Jessie Rose, and her books are just as amazing as mine. Until next time….

Kaitlyn Bolyard

This month, I am moving indoors for my first Winter Harbor Market event! I will be selling my books at the Studio Moonfall table on Saturday, November 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Who knows, I might even be wearing a weird costume or a hat! 

Women’s Club of Kenosha
6028-8th Ave

Hope to see you there!
For more info: https://www.kenoshaharbormarket.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=12134483171&gbraid=0AAAAABovbjK0QuUXEyUfweCr2WvGcx5Kt&gclid=CjwKCAiAlMHIBhAcEiwAZhZBUtjUQXgBr-LJRQhHxcAq1_lwNygGK5Y49aIw6v6-kxs4ej-j-qZ8QhoCE0oQAvD_BwE

Busy. Busy. Busy. 

I’ve been incredibly busy over the last few months, but a much-needed break is finally on the way. What does that mean for you, dear reader?

• More writing, less grading (I’m a professor and Winter Break is just around the corner)
• Updated website, more frequent posts, ways to interact with me.
• More poetry (for sure), more work on the next novel (I know you’ve been waiting!)

I hope you will continue to follow me on my journey. Reminder: If you haven’t read all of my books yet, more information is available here under Publications!

A thousand graffiti penises

Addicted me to phallic shapes.

Even lost in the woods, I can find

Perfectly circumcised mushroom tips.

The “average” American curses 80-90

Times per day, but my niece will call me

Out on saying words like “idiot” and “dumb”

While driving because those words, too,

Are impolite, just like hen o’ the woods

Crawling up the Western side.

Hot girl shit (I mean “stuff”, Arlo) sounds exhausting,

Useful but unethical, glorious in the right

To feel right at home in your body,

To incorporate trans dinosaurs

Into the very fabric of your clothing.

I’ve been trying to decide if today is worth

Exploring, tossing aside iPad ideologies

To learn a door blows open in your mind

Anytime you take the train to Phoenix.

Miracle balm is truly a miracle,

Removing all the lines of traffic

Running from the corners of my eyes.

I avoid mixing my metaphors,

Leaning into the history of rock, walking

On thin ice in the desert where Arlo’s

Grandparents live, my parents.

Surrounded by cacti that can survive the heat

You realize how tiny you and your problems are

And that a glass of water is really all you need.

An Italian soprano, not the mobster kind,

But the singing, introduces this new, amazing child

To juggling, to AI tailored to her individual needs.

Eventually, my job will just be teaching students

To write better prompts, not to compose their own ideas,

But rather embrace our robot overlords,

The corporations that will own our souls.

I’ve always been so afraid of losing people,

But I think they’ve already been lost in this mad parade.

Image: https://unsplash.com/@hialexxlarioss

Coffee upgraded my motivation at the art market.

General relativity trimmed away

The withered parts weighing me down,

But now “authentic” takes weeks to witness.

Even the center of a cinnamon roll

Doesn’t allow me to avoid my emotions.

This absolutely hilarious rise in life drags down weight loss.

Teachers only know five things about history:

1. The free soul is a rare thing.
2. When we strive to become better, we are.
3. Miracle balms truly are a miracle.
4. What is, is never for any reason.
5. We wait for elderly ladies.

Develop your author career by reading more and

Realizing two people in love is not a sin.

An amazing illusion is meant to be insulted,

To serve as a resource for dog training.

One day, I will learn to rest,

To finally just be done with this.

Photo by https://unsplash.com/@claybanks