About
Carmella de Keyser
Carmella de Keyser is originally from Camden, London, but now lives in Essex. She holds a degree in History from the University of Manchester and writes poetry that explores identity, her Balkan heritage, intersections, ambivalence, otherization, 1990s subcultures, liminal spaces, grief, and feelings of displacement.
She is passionate about providing safe spaces for poets to perform and share their work, and is the founder of the Harlow Circle of Poetry Stanza, the very first poetry stanza to be established in Harlow. She is also the Poetry Society Rep and Stanza Lead for the area.
Judge for the inaugural Harlow Open Poetry Competition 2025, her poems have been featured in magazines and poetry anthologies, including BBC Sounds, Macmillan, The Madrid Review, Authora Australis, Dream Catcher Literary Magazine, The Hedgehog Poetry Press, The Hooghly Review, The Dirigible Balloon, The Candyman's Trumpet, The Starbeck Orion, Suburban Witchcraft Magazine, The National Poetry Archive, and Wishbone Words Magazine, amongst others.
Honourable Mention for the Dark Poets Prizes I and II, Honourable Mention for the Small Space Deep Impact Award 2025, Longlisted for The Emma Press Collection 2025, Winner of The Hedgehog Press Competition 2024.
Her debut pamphlet, The Liminal Light of the Night, is out now with The Hedgehog Poetry Press.
Bluesky handle: Carmella de Keyser (@carmellapoetry.bsky.social) — Bluesky
Twitter X Handle: https://x.com/CarmellaPoetry