Carolyn Elkins is an American poet, teacher, and editor. Elkins received a BA in English from Wells College and an MA in English from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She has published three books and over 100 poems in journals in the United States and abroad. Elkins is the associate editor of Tar River Poetry, the poetry and fiction editor of POMPA, and a founding editor of Ruby Shoes Press. She has taught in the Poets in Person Program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Poetry magazine. Elkins also produces mixed media jewelry, incorporating the wings of butterflies, dragonflies, and cicadas; antique watch parts; keys and pen nibs; river stones; and coins, that is available online. She lives with her husband, Bill Spencer, in Cullowhee, North Carolina.