Kevin O'Kelly

Cognoscenti contributor

Kevin O'Kelly is a librarian and writer who lives in Somerville, Mass. His work has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor and The Rumpus.

Recently published

Now Is All We Have

Even if you resist the idea that a moment sitting stuck in traffic or a half-hour walking in piercing wind in bleak midwinter is a sacred mystery, writes Kevin O'Kelly,...

Cognoscenti

Dec 2, 2016

Hundreds gather at the JJ Hill Montesorri School Thursday, July 7, 2016, in St. Paul, Minn. for a vigil following the shooting death by police of Philando Castile Wednesday night in Falcon Heights, Minn. after a traffic stop by St. Anthony police. (Jim Mone/AP)

The Fatal Consequences Of Pathologizing Race In America

Kevin O'Kelly writes that Philando Castile was targeted for having a "wide-set nose." Did his features cost him his life?

Cognoscenti

Jul 13, 2016

Supporters cheer as Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally Monday, April 25, 2016, in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. (Mel Evans/AP)

Donald Trump And The Fluidity Of Racism

White people have always been afraid. This is the fact that enabled Trump’s rise.

Cognoscenti

Apr 28, 2016