About Me
About Keith Gaboury
Short Bio
By day, I work as a caffeinated preschool teacher with a sarcastic spine. By night, I write poetry, eat spicy food, and enjoy sarcastic time with my fiancé in Oakland, California.
Long Bio
I grew up between the Bay Area, Castle Rock, Colorado, and Olathe, Kansas. Beginning in 2004, I earned a BA in English: Concentration in Creative Writing from Baker University, a MA in English: Concentration in Literature from San Francisco State University, and a MFA in Creative Writing: Concentration in Poetry from Emerson College. My poetry has appeared in such Bay Area literary publications and reading series as sPARKLE & bLINK, Bay Area Generations, The Racket, Be About It Press, Literary Speakeasy, MoonDrop Productions, and Nomadic Press.
In free verse, form, prose poetry, and erasure, my poems range from surrealism, science fiction/fantasy, family-focused, historical, and a contemporary urban reality. On the poetic page, I often perceive the world through a sarcastic, humorous, and/or surrealistic lens.
In my current position as the president of the Berkeley Branch of the California Writers Club, I coordinate and/or host regular literary-related presentations, readings, and social gatherings. Along with being an active community member of the Bay Area literary scene, I'm engaged to my wonderful fiancé in Oakland, California.
Fun Bio
After I graduated with a MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in Boston, I had to fly from a MFA fantasy into making money. Despite the flame-torched pay, I landed on a job as a preschool teacher. In 2016, I rode a dragon from Massachusetts to California. As this dragon's claws are now fixed into Oakland ground, I write poetry with personality, go on Lake Merritt runs without tripping into the water, and teach dragon kindness to preschool children.
How I Became a Poet
I've always been captivated by the immense power of language. As a child, the Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans published "Look Out Your Window Please" (click here to read my poem). That publication gave me a splash of confidence. I carried my literary wonder throughout my public school, undergraduate, and graduate school education. Even on my first day as an undergraduate student at Baker University, I knew I wanted to major in English with a concentration in creative writing. I pursued my passion with a focused fervor.
I'm still amazed at the power a poem contains. By exploring various poetic forms and structures, I'm ceaselessly striving to push myself into uncharted territory on the page.
In the course of my poetic development, I've had pivotal teachers who molded and inspired me, including Molly Runde (Olathe North High School), Marti Mihalyi (Baker University), Camille Dungy (San Francisco State University), John Skoyles, Peter Shippy, Jonathan Aaron (Emerson College), Tom Daley (Boston, MA), Hollie Hardy, and Paul Corman-Roberts (The San Francisco Creative Writing Institute). They each played a vital role in the poet I am today. Thank you now and forever.
My Author Pages
Places I've Been Published
I've been honored to have my poetry appear in the following publications throughout the years:
