KimmyWalters.xyz: Internet famous writer shows what it means to be a modern-day poet in this week’s #WebsiteWednesday

KimmyWalters.xyz – eNom / Open SRS customer (United States)

Poetry has been an important form of self-expression for as long as the written word has been around. Classic writers may be the first poets that come to mind – Shakespeare, Dickinson, Whitman – but the internet has given a voice to a whole new wave of modern-day poets with an entirely fresh perspective, including the woman behind this week’s #WebsiteWednesday, KimmyWalters.xyz.

KimmyWalters.xyz is the online portfolio of San Diego-based writer Kimmy Walters. Described as “one of poetry’s brightest young things” by Dazed Magazine, Kimmy has already had two books of poetry published, Uptalk and Killer, before turning 30. You can also find her poems in a number of publications, including Peach Magazine, the New York Tyrant, and Queen Mob’s Tea House.

Kimmy first rose to literary Internet fame in a somewhat peculiar way. She amassed over 20,000 followers on Twitter after turning the senseless posts from a widely followed novelty account, @Horse_ebooks, into surprisingly profound poetry. As a Twitter account for Horse-Ebooks.com, @Horse_ebooks tweeted random phrases from the books and became widely known for its unintentionally amusing updates. Kimmy combed through the more than 16,000 nonsensical tweets to create poems that resembled her writing style. Since then, she’s been the mastermind behind viral tweets like this victorian therapy horse Buzzfeed dubbed “creepily accurate” and the in-flight dodecahedron that caused an internet uproar.

Published in 2015 by independent publisher Bottlecap Press, Kimmy wrote her first poetry collection Uptalk while she studied Linguistics in college. The title of the book refers to the rising inflection in which each clause or sentence ends like a question, a speech trend that is most commonly used by women. The science of language and its constant evolution heavily influenced the 68-page book, as Kimmy explores speech and feminism. Celebrated novelist Sheila Heti described Uptalk as “charming, inviting, beguiling and delightful poems in the language of someone who seems alive speaking refreshing riddles to herself.”

Experience the darker side of Kimmy’s work with her second poetry collection, Killer. Published in 2016, the book is influenced by an interest in modern mysteries, forensic science, and the years she spent in rural Missouri. Goodreads says the poems “seem to consider the world with a deep curiosity and a tinge of suspicion.” In one poem from the book, also entitled Killer, Kimmy finds the word “killer” carved into her closet and wonders if a murderer had previously lived in her residence, but decides that the 100-degree Missouri heat makes it too hot for her to care.

Go to KimmyWalters.xyz to explore her poetry and find links to purchase her books. You can follow Kimmy’s popular Twitter account, @ka_waltz, for almost daily doses of her unique humor. Do you need a place to showcase your work and achievements? Head to gen.xyz to register your .xyz domain name today!