Jessie McCarty (b. 1997) is a queer, Irish-American writer and informations professional. They are an editorial curator at Faoileánach (an Irish phrase meaning “where the seagulls gather”). Previously, they were co-Artistic Director of the Runaways Lab Theater (2021-2025).
Their poetry, in English and Gaeilge, uses depictions of the American South and Midwest as memory tools. Their poems can be read in Bog Bodies Press, Sarka Journal, The Minnesota Review, Charm School, The Documentarian, Don’t Submit Lit, Thick Press, and more.
Their full-length debut, Pretty Punks, is forthcoming with Magra Books in December 2025 (ed. Sean Pessin, Paul Vangelisti). Previous collections include The Bovine Huff (Track and Field Studios, 2021) and the self-published artist book, Our Fairy Diary(2023).
Jessie McCarty holds a BFA in Creative Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. They have certifications in systems migration and rare book cataloging (DCRMB). They are an upcoming MLIS student for Information Management, where they aim to study Gaeilge and English languages across community archives.
