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

Photo of a person carrying a child with blue star shorts on their back, walking on a path lined with green plants.

A sister who wasn’t ours

We were her foster family for two and a half years. We had no claim to her, but she became part of us

by Kelsey Day

Abstract painting of intertwined human figures with organic shapes and muted colours, creating a surreal and dynamic composition.

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