Deborah (Debbie) Tosun Kilday – Biography
Deborah (Debbie) Tosun Kilday is a new generation Beat poet, award-winning author, writer, nature photographer, and visual artist. She is widely recognized for her contributions to contemporary Beat literature and has received two lifetime literary achievement awards for her impact on modern poetry and independent publishing.
Debbie Tosun Kilday is the founder, owner, and CEO of the National Beat Poetry Foundation, Inc., along with its national and international Beat poetry festivals. She is also the founder of New Generation Beat Publications, BeatLife Magazine, and Kilday Krafts, platforms dedicated to promoting Beat poetry, creative writing, and independent artists worldwide.
Debbie Tosun Kilday
In addition to her leadership roles, she served as Past President of the Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association (CAPA), supporting authors, poets, and publishers across the literary community.
- Debbie Tosun Kilday is the author of multiple poetry and prose books, and her short stories and poems have been published in magazines and numerous anthology collections. Her work reflects Beat traditions while addressing modern themes of self-expression, freedom, and human experience. She has also appeared on television and radio, sharing her insights on poetry, art, and creative culture.
- A Connecticut native, Deborah (Debbie) Tosun Kilday currently resides in Wolcott, Connecticut, USA, where she continues to write, create art, and mentor emerging poets and writers. Dear readers, today we will read her poetry.
Ordinary Woman
I’m just an ordinary woman
Nothing extraordinary
Just plain ordinary
I did what was necessary to survive
My poor beginnings
Were only poor for lack of the dollar
Instead
I was gifted with natural surroundings
That nature provided
Things like clean water, clean air
Breathing peaceful surroundings
Enough food to satisfy
Making me appreciate
The thing that sets me apart
I’m just an ordinary woman
Working hard to create
Something extraordinary
I never give up
I keep on creating
A better version of myself
I’m not legendary
Not living extraordinary
I’m just here
Living life
My beat beginnings
Have only forced me
To redefine the word Beat
Which to me means to keep evolving
I Dream my Life Better
I sometimes think I dream my life better than I live it.
In my dreams I run barefoot through fields of green grass after a summer rain.
The fact that I am running at all makes me realize it’s a dream.
In my dreams I hear the birds chirping songs so sweet it is a symphony to my ears.
Awake I realize I hardly hear the songs of birds these days. There are so few.
In my dreams I ramble through never-ending forests. The trees hold out their branches to embrace me. I climb up to view the world from up above. I never feel alone.
When awake the clear cut reality is the forests are no more. The landscape is bare.
In my dreams the skies are blue and the waters run clear and pure.
I awake to the dreary grey day and must filter my water before drinking.
In my dreams I live in peace and harmony.
I awaken to arguments and I must flee for safety.
But sometimes I think I may someday live my life as beautiful as my dreams.
There was a time I lived my life better than my dreams.
So I hold onto my dreams and try to live them into a new reality.
Hunger Hurts
Hunger makes my lips parched
But my eyes are moist with tears
There is no moisture in dry bread
There is no food in the aching stomachs
No sustenance for the parasites
The children cry out for scraps
Their outstretched hands grasp for crumbs
Some worship their idols made of gold
For a place in Heaven paid in full
But they turn a blind eye to the poor
If only they cared
They won’t relieve the suffering
Unless they get their applause
For being fake humanitarians
But there are those that have half of nothing
And they will share half of whatever they have
Hunger is something that shouldn’t exist
But it continues
If the prices are not met by buyers
The crops are buried & turned into soil
Money is what they want
Although it is hard to swallow
I too hungered for many years
My eyes met the empty gazes
From people unwilling to help
Now I have food
And I’m grateful
But I give to those who have none
Not for attention
I want no reward
I give because I have felt the pangs of hunger
It is hard to ignore and harder to alleviate
If I can help alleviate that pain
If I can fill the stomachs of a few
I do
Because I never want to see the suffering
I cannot tolerate the pain
Their pain was my pain
Until someone helped me
Please help feed as many as you can
By sharing whatever you can
Hunger hurts
In more ways than one
I Am Beat
I must admit
I am beat
Beaten down by experience
Smashed to bits
Ground down
By pestle and mortar
Made into a chalky paste
Like pesto
Without the pine
An empty cone
Of intricate webs
A cocoon
Turned to stone
There is no escape
Only hope
That the layers
That peel off
My parchment
Do not take me down
Kerouac Lane
Left to howl
At a generation
Beaten down and poor
But made renewed
Sympathetic
Pure
As was intended
A new generation
Forged from stones
But crushed into clay
Made pliable
Ready for change
Sculpted from ashes
Rising up
In waves
Renewed by waters
A jazzy ensemble
Pounding to the beat
Conclusion
Deborah (Debbie) Tosun Kilday’s poetry carries the true spirit of the Beat tradition while speaking in a distinctly modern voice. Her poems feel honest, fearless, and deeply human, often blending emotional intensity with a quiet sense of reflection. What makes her work powerful is its authenticity—she does not decorate emotions, she reveals them. Each line feels lived-in, shaped by experience, memory, and awareness.
As a new generation Beat poet, Debbie writes with freedom and purpose. Her poetry moves effortlessly between introspection and observation, capturing moments of vulnerability, strength, love, loss, and self-discovery. There is a raw beauty in her words that invites readers to pause, breathe, and feel without judgment.
Beyond technique, her poems offer connection. They remind us that poetry can still be personal, rebellious, and healing at the same time. Debbie Tosun Kilday’s voice stands as a meaningful contribution to contemporary poetry, honoring the Beat legacy while expanding it for today’s world.
