The Cliff-Notes Version:

For a press bio, click here.

Emily Kagan Trenchard’s work fuses poetry and science, the personal and the political, the magical and the natural. Her poems critique and reconfigure traditional notions of femininity, history, religion and the body, drawing on images and stories from both her own life and the mainstream media.

She has been writing for years, though she didn't become interested in poetry until she got to college. In 2001, She started CalSlam on the UC Berkeley campus, competed in the first ever National Collegiate Poetry Slam (winning the tournament with her team), and made the San Francisco poetry slam team, traveling with them to compete at the National poetry Slam in Seattle.

Since then, Emily has been on multiple slam teams, run monthly and weekly reading series, produced large scale poetry events, had her work featured at venues across the country and published in a array of journals and anthologies (see below). She now calls louderARTS – Bar 13 her home and is the Slam Master and co-curator for the reading series. Emily is making a return to her first love of fiction and short stories and in 2009 completed her first novel.

Education
Masters of Science – Science Writing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bachelors of Arts – Interdisciplinary Studies, University of California Berkeley
Van Nuys High School for the Performing Art, Concentration in Playwriting and Musical Theater

Honors and Awards
Rattle Poetry Prize, Honorable Mention - 2009
Merk Science Journalism Award – 2005
MIT Science Writing Fellowship – 2004
National Collegiate Slam Champion – 2004
UC Berkeley Jazz Department Award for
Innovative Course Development - 2003
National Collegiate Slam Champion – 2001

Publications
Rattle 2009
November 3rd Club Fall 2009
New Verse News 2009
Word Riot 2009 – 2 poems
Multiple articles for ABC News (links available over here)
The Shining Gun 2005 - essay
Hail to California (poetry collection) 2005 - contributor
Poetry Commission from the UC Berkeley
Class of 2004 for Commencement Poem
Dispatches from the Blank and Possible World - 2008
Where I’m At - 2006
Take Me Like A Pretty Girl - 2003
The Birth of Verse Anthology 2002 - (editor and contributor)
Duct Taping Halos to My Head - 2001

Television/Radio/Web
IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel 2009 (multiple appearances)
HBO's Def Poetry Jam 2004
HBO's Def Poetry Jam 2003
Eye on L.A. feature on Loz Feliz slam
NPR broadcast of InForum discussion on modern performance poetry

Professional Affiliations
NYC Urbana Board Member 2006
LouderARTS Co-Curator
Urban Word NYC - Volunteer Coordinator 2006
College Unions Poetry Slam Invitation - Tournament Chair 2004
Poetry Slam Inc. Executive board: West Coast College Slam Coordinator
President ('01-04) and co-founder Cal Slam
Co-Founder SheSLAM and producer of Birth of Verse writer’s salon

Slam teams
LouderARTS NYC 2006 (manager)
UC Berkeley 2004
(National Champs, coach)
Berkeley/SF Unified B Team 2004
(coach)
UC Berkeley 2003 (coach)
San Francisco 2002
UC Berkeley 2002 (coach)
San Francisco 2001
UC Berkeley 2001 (National Champs)

Featured Performance/Lecture
(full list of slam venues available upon request)

The Common Wealth Club of San Francisco
California Institute for the Arts
Cal Poly San Louis Obispo
The Justice League
The Nuyorican,
The Supper Club
University of San Francisco
Brandeis University
Stanford University
UC Santa Cruz
UC Berkeley Women’s Rights Conference
State University of New York Oneonta
State University Idahod at Bois
Cornelia Street Cafe
The Lower East Side Girls Club
Rocklin Gay Pride Festival 

Workshop Leader
ACUI National Conference
West Coast English Teacher’s Association Conference
Diablo Valley Community College
Solano Community College
Northgate High School
Cleveland High School
State University Idahod at Boise

Event Production
Brave New Voices 2006 – Volunteer Coordinator
Tourettes Without Regrets 2002-2005 – host and production coordinator
College Unions Poetry Slam 2004 – Tournament Chair
New Word Series 2003 – Director of Marketing
Cal Slam 2001-2004 – series host
Birth of Verse 2001-2003 – series host

Emily has had the honor of sharing a stage with:
Mos Def, Ted Koppel, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Aya DeLeon, Beau Sia, Jill Scott, Danny Hoch, The Suicide Kings, Ishel Yi Park, Sage Francis, Taylor Mali, Kevin Coval, Roger Bonair-Agar, Saul Williams, Mike McGee, Shane Koyzcan, Mums the Schemer, Stacey Ann Chin, Taalam Acey, Sekou tha Misfit, Jason Carney, Buddy Wakefield, Jerry Quickley, Rachel McKibbens, Mark Doty, Kid Beyond (and many more)...