genuinely curious & tolerantly mad
· R L · powell [he :: they] is a writer of poetry & prose—though he's also poorly committed to exclusive definitions of genre. They're the founding editor of a an independent poetry journal, APROSEXIA LIT, occasional academic, educator, & champion of all things imaginative, peculiar, & kind. They hold a Specialist B.A. (Hons.) in English, with a minor in Paradigms & Archetypes; their MA is in English Languages & Literatures. They parted ways with doctoral studies in the aftermath of the pandemic, ABD & in good standing, to focus their energy on creative work exclusively, & pursue an MFA at the Bennington Writing Seminars. To date, he hasn't felt particularly sad about leaving the PhD program.
· R L · has an unusual talent for thinking & teaching in & around critical theory; maintains a passion for pedagogy; & unique approaches to art. He's drawn to imaginative explorations of literal or figurative space, along with work derived from dreams. They're an irreverent specialist in American modernism, know an awful lot about wine. He also thinks you're doing a magnificent job of being yourself.
the imperative to be heard
·As someone who has written throughout their adult life, · R L · has accumulated work experience writing in a variety of contexts, and in unusual conditions and in different parts of the world. Much of that writing has concentrated in and around the Arts—but turning his primary focus to his own creative work full time is a recent development. And what critical and persuasive modes of writing come easily to them—their first love has always been poetry, which has determined their specialty, studying Literature and Writeing at Bennington. Some of their more recent poetry are provided below.
As a neurodivergent, queer, and disabled creative, the obstacles · R L · has encountered throughout his life have led to making hard choices, and significant concessions with how he could live his life. Additional concerns related to chronic illness have produced non-negotiable restrictions and unavoidable barriers. In recent years, this has led · R L · to dedicate more of their energy towards advocacy—fighting for better representation, and establishing more authentic creative spaces neurodivergent, disabled, mentally ill, and cognitively challenged artists—where they can work on their own terms. Even with the incremental gains in overall awareness in recent years, · R L · finds awareness regarding marginalized experience is absented from cultural discourse, morn than it acknowledged—and consequently important voices are beign denied the opportunity to thrive.
This led · R L · to found the poetry journal APROSEXIA LIT. The need for a barrier free online publication for quality work to find a home, and come into conversation with work going on within the broader community, didn't exist in this particular form—and it was something · R L · would have wanted to see earlier on his their own career. The arts has a difficult time accommodating these (fequently peculiar) artists who are very much a part of the community. Neurotypical and able-bodied curators and editors can fail disabled and divergent creatives in ways they don't necessarily think of—artists are frequently expected to succeed when they translate more common experience into striking or uncommon terms. For large proportion of the disabled community, what's common to experience can be radically different from the start. APROSEXIA aims to celebrate that radical difference from the start.
Recent Publications :: poetry
☞ “consider reducing the journey at large— [ . . . ]” The Argyle; Sept, 2025. [ forthcoming ]
☞ “upon the return from the ATM,” junq magazine. 3, Nov. 2024.
☞ “always and still, leagues above,” Impossible Archetype. 16, Aug, 2024.
☞ The Rising Phoenix Review. Jan, 2024.
☞ The Eunoia Review. Dec, 2023.
☞ “And the Sea Brags of its Shells,” Haven Spec. 11. Nov, 2023.
☞ “Are Bright Things to Pray For,” Impossible Archetype, 14. Aug, 2023.
☞ The Rumen. Jul, 2023.
☞ [ . . . ]
☞ “Between Tours: for Ron,” Ron's Last Hurrah. Apr, 2023.
A Few Important Epigrams from · R L · s World
Some people merely want to do a certain thing, or think they’d be quite good at it; others need to to it to survive. The latter are the ones I consider the artists. Not personally being compelled by anything I wonder if those who are so compelled have been given a gift or a curse.
Colin Buckeridge,
Lifelong Supporter &
Dearly Departed Friend
“I love this shore that drew your feet
to me; washed your shoulders;
beached your raft of bones.”
The Agnyett
For any number of years (and it may be better not to count them up), · R L · s been making progress on a large-scale worldbuilding project—a place to house a considerable backlog of neglected stories and self-realized characters that have, on the whole, been living (rent free) in within his rude & persistent imagination. The tripartite-extant (which is also known as the Agnyett) is the ultimate result. The extant is now at that point, where there's not much else to do about it than provide it with a breath of life. It's a different sort of storytelling than they've been occupied with the last long while—but there may be hope for these untold speculative stories yet. It would certainly make a number of impatient characters quite happy—even if many of them are unaware of the troubling times ahead.
