Isabelle Kenyon

Isabelle Kenyon is a British poet, publisher, and author known for her work in socially conscious literature. She founded Fly on the Wall Press, a small press publishing books on social issues. Her poetry chapbooks include This is Not a Spectacle (2018), Potential (2019), and Growing Pains (2020). In 2024, she published her debut thriller, The Dark Within Them, exploring themes of faith, secrecy, and psychological conflict in a tightly-knit community.

Isabelle Kenyon was educated at Aquinas College and later at the University of York, earning a degree in Writing, Directing, and Performance. Her early career involved marketing and events management, where she gained experience designing campaigns for authors and cultural projects. She later transitioned to a publishing and book marketing consultancy career, working with various publishers and authors.

Kenyon’s Fly on the Wall Press has received recognition in the British Book Awards, being shortlisted for Small Press of the Year from 2020 to 2023. Kenyon commented on her press’s mission, “Small presses are the hidden lifeblood that would otherwise go missing from our cultural landscape.”

The press has published over 70 books, focusing on poetry, short stories, and chapbooks, with a commitment to political and ethical themes.

In addition to her publishing work, Kenyon’s poetry and short stories have appeared in anthologies by Indigo Dreams Publishing and Hedgehog Poetry Press.

Her work has also been featured in international journals such as Ink, Sweat & Tears and newspapers like The Somerville Times. She has performed at various literary festivals, including the Cheltenham Poetry Festival and Leeds International Festival.

Kenyon began writing The Dark Within Them after being inspired by the story of the so-called “Doomsday Couple” from Utah.

A reflection on the novel's development, she said, “I was transfixed by the psychology of their conviction in their right to do something so utterly horrific and call it religion.” The thriller centres on a faith healer named Amber, who discovers the dark secrets hidden within a small, isolated community.

Isabelle Kenyon lives in Manchester.

Photo credit: X @kenyon_isabelle