genuinely curious & tolerantly mad
· R L · powell [he :: they] is a writer of poetry & prose—albeit one that's poorly committed to exclusive definitions of genre. They're the founding editor of a an independent poetry journal, APROSEXIA LIT, an 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. In the aftermath of the global pandemic, they parted ways with their doctoral program in the—ABD & in good standing—after determining their creative work held more imperative to them; though their time in doctoral studies did enkindle a passion for teaching. This has led them to the MFA program at the Bennington Writing Seminars. To date, he hasn't felt particularly sad about leaving the PhD program, but remains genuinely proud of the decision to write full time.
· R L · has an unusual talent for thinking & teaching in & around critical theory; maintains a passion for pedagogy; & is known for his unique approaches and critique of 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, & knows 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 their professional experience across in variety of contexts and unusual conditions, and in many different parts of the world. Much of that writing has concentrated in and around the Arts—but turning his primary focus to creative work, full time, is a relatively recent development. And while critical and persuasive modes of writing come easily to them—their first love has always been poetry. This is what led them to pursue their MFA in Literature and Writing at the Bennington Writing Seminars, which is where many of their recent poetry publications began—with more forthcoming.
As a neurodivergent, queer, disabled creative, there are obstacles · R L · has faced throughout his life that have necessitated difficult choices on an ongoing basis. A significant number of concessions relate to how and where he can live his life. Coming to terms with chronic illness has meant accepting that certain barriers and restrictions are matters of fact, and that while disability means that a body and mind are never going to “get better”—there are also ways that those handicaps can be tapped into, and used an agent for change. This is what's led · R L · toward advocacy, and the ongoing fight for better, and more visible representation of the disabled and disability in the Arts. Because, while it's true that incremental gains in general awareness surrounding neurodivergence and non-visible illness have improved in recent years, · R L · still sees how a profound range of the marginalized experience is willfully absented from most cultural discourse. Representation is often disguised under the pretext of acknowledging disability as a site of trauma, along with a desire and need for acceptance. Certainly, the latter are significant parts of being (dis)abled in an thoroughly abled world—but there's more to life than being defined by one's limitations.
This conviction is has led · R L · to found the poetry journal APROSEXIA LIT. He sees it as one way to answer the need for a barrier free online publication, where high quality work that originates outside the norm can find a home, and also be part of a larger conversation within the creative community.
“I love this shore that drew your feet
to me; washed your shoulders;
beached your raft of bones.”
Recent publications :: poetry
☞ “the gauge left to battery a phone call //” Scavengers Lit Mag, 3. print. [forthcoming ]
☞ “The take-home at the new box-office //” Effervescent. fifth wheel press. Nov 2025.
☞ “Polaroids I didn't take only to leave in Basque,” Ballast. Oct 2025.
☞ “iii. without warning, a pitch of desire,” The Inflectionist Review. Oct 2025.
☞ “consider reducing the journey at large— //” The Argyle. Sept 2025.
☞ “upon the return from the ATM,” junq magazine, 3. Nov 2024. print.
☞ “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.
floating epigrams
The Agnyett
In recent years, what began as a lifelong passion for worldbuilding has taken on a life of its own. Pet projects, accumulated notes, scraps of dreams, and countless unfinished flights of fancy have culminated in · R L · s creation of The Agnyett—aka “the extant.”
Like many young people left to haunt the fringes of popular culture in their youth, · R L · developed a love of reading by way of speculative fiction. However, by the mid 2010s, it seemed less likely that they’d even have enough time and energy to pursue writing genre friction of their own. Pandemic lockdowns during 2020 happened to give · R L · some of the time he needed to lay down what is now the extant. And since the end of lockdown, he's also been able to put a number of its stories down on the pape. What they're missing now is the right opportunity to share those tales with a wider audience—and he’s hoping to see that achieved in the near future.
