Belle Townsend is a rural Kentucky-born and raised poet, writer, organizer, multi-media artist and content creator, baker, and communications specialist with an emphasis in digital organizing.

Belle has self-published three books: Push and Pull, The Observer Effect, and The Holy in the Humdrum. They cover topics such as the pandemic, climate change, being queer in the south, rural life, reproductive freedom, religious trauma, and forgiveness and survival, despite.

Belle seeks to contextualize specific experiences into palatable and relatable poetry that anyone can find comfort and connection in. For folks with short attention spans, little capacity for reading, no academic background, and no interest in poetry, Belle aims to write accessible stories in the form of poems.

Belle is published in The National Library of Poetry, Flailhouse Press, and in over a dozen indie poetry anthologies. Belle’s work is also featured in Editions 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Queer Kentucky’s print magazine. Belle’s freelanced as a journalist, poet, and writer (print and digital) with Queer Kentucky since December 2022, and she is now Queer Kentucky’s Political Correspondent — writing 20 articles covering the Kentucky legislative session between Jan. and May of 2024.

Belle is available to book poetry readings, author talks, slam features, panel discussions, or whatever your little heart desires.

In addition to writing, Belle owns and operates Belle’s Custom Desserts. Ran out of her home as a creative venture of many years, Belle takes great joy in her history of catering the cakes/ cupcakes for hundreds of birthdays, weddings, baby showers, and other celebrations of life. Belle’s Custom Desserts specializes in catering desserts for large events, but with limited capacity. It is kindly requested that orders are inquired at least one month prior to the scheduled event date.