Queer Hillbilly Academic
Poet, Songwriter, Educator, Editor, Photographer, & Community Organizer
Samantha Ratcliffe has dedicated her life to promoting access to free, enriching community writing spaces and experiences. Over the past five years, she has been engaged in teaching English at both the high school and undergraduate levels. She's a dedicated lifelong learner with a deep passion for small press publishing. In all that she does, it is her goal to foster accessible creative endeavors throughout the Commonwealth. Ratcliffe's work has been featured in a number of anthologies & journals including but not limited to:
White Wall Review, Issue 41
Untelling, Issue 1
Untelling Issue 3
Yearling Issue 3
Yearling Issue 4
Pegasus, Fall 2024
Pegasus, Spring 2025
Discarded: A Rural Anthology September
All Else Pales 2: A Song, Emerging/Poems About Our Earth
2025 King Library Press Broadside contest winner 2025
Oak Ledge Residency winner, Hindman Settlement School
Originally from Pikeville, Kentucky, Ratcliffe was highly influenced by a musical family. From an early age, she learned instrumentation in bluegrass circles and performed on stage regularly with her family's gospel band. By high school, she was creating her own publications, running her own zine distro, and performing as a folk punk musician. For almost twenty years, Ratcliffe has been writing and performing her own music throughout Kentucky.
Her forthcoming poetry collection, Common Wealth, is a full length hybrid multimodal work of short surrealist flash fiction and poetry grappling with invisibility, poverty, and the loss of environmental agency in a time of political unrest. This work is an up-close examination of queer and trans Appalachia voices. It asks what does it mean to be Common? And who in this world is really wealthy? Recognizing true wealth exists at the heart of the progressive south and our common goal and necessary strides towards racial retribution and equity.
2024-2026
University of Kentucky
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing
Graduate Assistant
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Summer 2025 Led & developed a curriculum map for an asynchronous 6 week summer course that will be used as a model for future summer placements.
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Fall 2024-Spring 2025 ENG 107 Creative Writing
Experience teaching recitation sections sections of 107 (55+ students), led full class lectures of 100+ students, managed grading and administrative duties.
2024-2025
University Press of Kentucky
Editorial & Marketing Intern
Summer 2025, Marketing Intern
Assisted publicist & marketing team with multiple projects including all aspects of cover copy development, author interviews, social media graphics, and brand development.
Spring 2025, Editorial Intern
Assist publisher and staff with multiple projects including but not limited to proof reading, editing, index development, editorial meetings, as well as core aspects of book production.
2022-2025
Broadstone Books
Senior Editor
Acquisitions, Marketing, & Event Management
Ratcliffe has assisted publisher Larry Moore as an understudy of all aspects of publishing operations, including manuscript selection, marketing and cover copy development, social media advertising, and event management, including a number of special events at Poets House, NYC.
2025-2026
Additional Editorial Exp.
New Limestone Review Spring 2025 Issue, Poetry Editor
Backwoods Literary Press Summer 2025, Guest Editor Testament: A Rural Anthology
2020-2024
Frankfort High School
Core English Teacher
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Creative Writing Elective (9th-12th)
Developed & taught a year long project based curriculum, incorporating student creative choice through Kentucky based standards. Recreated school publication Inscripto and taught publication basic through the use of digital and print tools. -
11th-12th Literature, Language, & Rhetoric
Developed & taught curriculum for both 11th & 12th grade classes, including extensive breakdown of research and analytical writing skills, ACT grammar, MLA guidelines, and study methods. Public speaking skills, as well as extensive analysis of American Literature. -
Profile of a Graduate Project, 11th grade
Led & developed the implementation of junior post secondary readiness curriculum. Including a summative academic defense showcase that incorporated community support. This district-wide initiative solidified a 98% graduation rate from 2021-2025. Students were encouraged to lead their own career research while learning public speaking skills and rhetorical analysis strategies.
2008-2012
Eastern Kentucky University
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Secondary Education
Minor in Women & Gender Studies
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The Alphabet Center, co-founder
Developed the first LGBTQIAA+ educational center on EKU's campus. Originally located in Martin Hall, this educational center acted as a safe space for all students. The space hosted WGS courses, club meetings, and it included a library of related resources free for student use.
