One day I woke up and gave myself permission 

Baltimore, MD
Poet · Visual Artist · Performer

Bio

Kelly Xio is a poet and interdisciplinary artist working across painting, performance, sound, and publishing. Their work explores tenderness, memory, survival, intimacy, and the nuanced emotional textures of contemporary life. Rooted in DIY culture and collaborative practice, Xio’s projects often seek to explore the idea of permission and self-realization. 

Publications

• Catapult — “Dark Blue” (2020)

• Archway Editions — “Four Poems”

• Bruiser Magazine — “Two Poems from One More Day on Earth Together”; “The International Sad Players Anthem”

• BULLSHIT LIT MAG & PRESS — “Three Poems” (2025)

• Cosmonauts Avenue

• Shabby Doll House

• Dirt Child — “Equinox” (2024)

Books & Anthologies

• One More Day on Earth Together — Published by Bruiser Magazine

• The Relegation Reader — Published by Relegation Books “for crying out loud”

Exhibitions

• Vessel — multidisciplinary exhibition curated by Fiona Kohrman, Baltimore, MD (Upcoming 2026)

Performances & Projects

• & It Keeps Me Up At Night — Los Angeles, CA (2023)
  A literary and comedy event centered on restlessness, longing, and the quiet absurdity of being alive.

• One More Day On Earth Together I–IV — Los Angeles, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City (2023)
  A multi-city reading and performance series focused on intimacy, friendship, grief, and collective care.

• in Spring, I Come Alive — Baltimore, MD (2023)
  Interdisciplinary poetry and performance event inspired by renewal and emotional transformation.

• All That I Lost, I Still Carry — Baltimore, MD (2021)
  All That I Lost, I Still Carry, Vol. II — Los Angeles, CA (2022)
  A poetry and performance retrospective reflecting on memory, isolation, and life during the pandemic.

• A Gentle Excavation — Resort Gallery, Baltimore, MD (2019)

• Tender.FM — Baltimore, MD (2016–2018)
  An ongoing multidisciplinary live performance series bringing together poetry, music, and visual art.

• It Hurts 2B Born: Revelations & Reckonings — Baltimore, MD (2017)

• Your Funeral — Terrault Contemporary, Baltimore, MD (2016)

Media & Practice

• Poetry

• Painting

• Soft Pastel

• Charcoal

• Mixed Media

• Performance

• Zine Publishing

• Curatorial Programming

• DIY Arts Organizing