Kelly was natural within Brooklyn, New York and studied at a City College of the City University of New York, graduating in 1955. He so spent triad years at Columbia University. He has worked as a translator & teacher, virtually all notably at Bard College, where he has worked since 1961. Kelly's more teaching positions develop involved Wagner College (1960-61), the State University of New York at Buffalo (1964), and a Tufts University Visiting Professor of Modern Poetry (1966-67). Additionally, he hwhen served as Poet around Home at a California Institute of Technology (1971-72), Yale University (Calhoun College), Kansas University, Dickinson College, and a University of Southern California.

Kelly has published supplementary than fifty books of poetry & prose, including Red Actions: Selected Verse form 1960-1993 (1995) and the collection of short fictions, The Transparent Tree (1985). Several were published per Black Sparrow Press. He likewise edited a anthology The Disceptation of Poets (1965).

Books of poetry
Armed Descent, Future York: Hawk's Easily Click, 1961. Her Immune system Against the clock, Mexico City: Ediciones El Corno Emplumado, 1963. Around Dances, Up to date York: Trobar Click, 1964. Enstasy, Annandale: Matter, 1964. Lunes/Sightings, using Jerome Rothenberg, Just released York: Hawk's Easily Click, 1964. Words around Service, Just released Haven: Robert Lamberton, 1966. Weeks, Mexico City: Ediciones El Corno Emplumado, 1966. Song Two dozen, Cambridge: Pym-Randall Click, 1966. Devotions, Annandale: Salitter, 1967. Twenty Verse form, Annandale: Matter Books, 1967. Axone Dendron Tree, Annandale: Salitter, 1967. Crooked Bridge Love Society, Annandale: Salitter, 1967. The Joinging: The Sequenet for H:D:, Los Angeles:Black Sparrow Click, 1967. Alpha, Gambier, Ohio: A Pot Hanger Click, 1967. Choosing a Measure, Los Angeles: Blacken Sparrow Click, 1968. Sonnets, Los Angeles: Melanise Sparrow Click, 1968. Songs I personally-XXX, Cambridge: Pym-Randall Click, 1968. A Most common Shore, (Books One - Five) Los Angeles: Melanise Sparrow Click, 1969. The California Journal, London: Large Venus Books, 1969. Kali Yuga, London: Jonathan Cape, 1970. The Cape Goliard Book. Flesh Dream Book, Los Angeles: Melanise Sparrow Click, 1971. Ralegh, Los Angeles: Blacken Sparrow Click, 1972. A Pastorals, Los Angeles: Blacken Sparrow Click, 1972. Reading Her Notes, Uniondale: privately printed at a Salisbury Click, 1972. A Tears of Edmund Burke, Annandale, privately printed, 1973. A Mill of Particulars, Los Angeles: Blacken Sparrow Click, 1973. A Loom, Los Angeles: Melanize Sparrow Click, 1975. Sixteen Odes, Los Angeles: Blacken Sparrow Click, 1976. A Lady Of, Los Angeles: Melanise Sparrow Click, 1977. A Convections, Santa Barbara: Melanise Sparrow Click, 1977. A Book of Persephone, Freshly Paltz: Treacle Click, 1978. Destroy a Courier, Santa Barbara: Melanise Sparrow Click, 1979. Phrase, Barrytown: Station Hill Click, 1980. Negro spiritual Exercises, Santa Barbara: Nigrify Sparrow Click, 1981. A Alchemist to Mercury: an surrogate musical composition, Uncollected Verse form 1960-1980, edited by Jed Rasula, Berkeley: Northerly Atlantic Books, 1981. Mulberry Women, using drypoints by Matt Phillips, Berkeley: Hiersoux, Powers, Thomas,1982. Under Words, Santa Barbara: Nigrify Sparrow Click, 1983. ''Thor's Thrush, Oakland: A Coincidence Click, 1984. Non this Island Music, Santa Rosa: Black Sparrow Click, 1987. A Flowers of Unceasing Coincidence, Barrytown: Station Hill Click, 1988. Oahu, Rhinebeck: St Lazaire Click, 1988. Ariadne, Rhinebeck: St Lazaire Click, 1991. Pronunciamento for the Next Future York School, Buffalo: Leave Click, 1991. The Unknown Market, (Verse form 1985-1988), Santa Rosa: Melanise Sparrow Click, 1992. Mont Blanc, an extended verse form inscribed inside Shelleys, Ann Arbor, Otherwind Click, 1994. Red Actions: Selected Verse form 1960-1993, Santa Rosa, Black Sparrow Press,1995. A Period of Voice, Verse form 1994-1996. Santa Rosa, Nigrify Sparrow Click, 1998. Runic letter, Ann Arbor, Otherwind Click, 1999 A Garden of Distances'', sustaining Brigitte Mahlknecht, Vienna / Lana, Editions Procura, 1999