When emotions rot, they compost and transform into something new
A self that fractures through loss or grief marks a psychological shift, beginning a cycle of regrowth through decomposition
by Kelsey Day
Kelsey Day is a writer from southern Appalachia. Their work has been published in The Atlantic, Freeman’s, The Appalachian Review and The Washington Square Review, among others. Their debut novel, The Spiral Key, is forthcoming from Penguin Random House in 2026.
Written by Kelsey Day