Call me Kro

My name is Kay “Kro” Kroger (@kroetry), and I’m a full-time on-demand typewriter poet. This has been my job for the last five years, and I’ve written over 10,000 poems for the people.

Education

In 2016, I earned my MA in Linguistics. I studied, among other things, the sociolinguistics of slam poetry and endangered language revitalization. I wrote my thesis (“From the Roots to the Fruits: Identity Performance and Indigenous-Language Code-Switching in Slam Poetry”) on the topic. My central question was: when Native poets use their language in poems onstage, how are they doing it, and why? I graduated summa cum laude, with a 4.0.

In 2025, I graduated with my MFA in creative writing—with distinction. I studied poetry under Richard Jones, editor of Poetry East Magazine for 50 years; and Mark Turcotte, Illinois Poet Laureate. I also studied creative nonfiction and short story writing. I discovered my trademark hybrid and cross-genre style while learning from Barrie Jean Borich. During my time at DePaul I also worked as the Editorial Assistant for the DePaul Publishing Institute.

Residencies

For the last three years, I’ve been poet-in-residence at the WNDR Museum at their Chicago and Boston locations. I have also held a residency at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, in conjunction with the organization Art Speaks.

Publications

In May of 2024, Bottlecap Press released my poetry chapbook Tales From the Abandoned Greenhouse. In 2022, I self-published my essay/art/poetry/activity collection, Prayer Wheel, with grant support from the Illinois Art Council. Prayer Wheel was a collaboration between me and 11 different Chicago-area artists to realize a vision of a deeply interactive manuscript.

My poetry, essays, hybrid writing, and creative nonfiction have appeared in the Bards Against Hunger anthology, Outpatient Press, The Prairie Light Review, The Thomasonian, Crook & Folly, Writer’s Hour Magazine, and more.

Awards

In 2025, I took first place in the Peatland Poetry Competition in the Culture category, and second place in the Ekphrasis category. I also won first place in the August 2025 London Writers’ Salon’s Writing Contest. A chapter from my MFA thesis, titled “Poetic Justice,” was shortlisted for Uncharted Magazine’s 2025 Novel Excerpt Competition.

Spoken Word Appearances

Since 2019, I have been a resident performer with Boston and Chicago chapters of The Poetry Brothel, an immersive literary cabaret. I hold a recurring stage presence at QWERTYFEST MKE’s yearly typewriter festival. I’ve appeared on stages at Second City, AWP, and the Green Mill. You can find me sporadically on stages in Chicago and nationwide.

I’ve hosted and produced community poetry events such as Word of Mouth Printer’s Row Poetry Show and the Rat Slam! Stage at Chicago’s Rat Hole Music Fest.

Typewriter Poetry

I’ve written over 10,000 poems both domestically and internationally. My travels have taken me to dozens of cities within the US, as well as to Athens, Tokyo, and beyond.

My past clients have included Google, LinkedIn, Equifax, and Bloomingdale’s. I’ve collaborated with organizations such as Ars Poetica, The Haikuists, and Live Art International.

My go-to machine is a baby blue 1976 Brother Charger 11 with bichromatic red/black ink.

Teaching, Coaching & Mentoring

I’ve been teaching for over a decade, from Pre-K to seniors and everybody in between. I got my start teaching ESL, reading skills, remedial grammar, and college composition classes. My students taught me that everyone has a voice, and something worth saying.

These days, I teach, coach, and mentor writers (and would-be writers) on every skill you could imagine.

I teach yearly classes at QWERTYfest on using the typewriter as a generative tool. I host type-ins across the city with partners such as the Insect Asylum and DCASE, allowing people to experience typewriter magic. I may or may not have a (type)writer’s retreat in the works (shhhhh!).

Spirituality

I am a community leader for the Nichiren Shu Buddhist Sangha of Chicago. I manage their newsletter, yearly zine, and community outreach. I have written several haiku collections while on pilgrimage to the mother temples in rural Japan.

I am also a practicing Druid and have a deep, personal connection to the natural world, which often appears in my writing. I often describe myself as an “Author, teacher, mystic, and muse.”

To see my resume and CV, click below