Torrey's Story

Torrey Francis Malek is a Delaware poet, photographer, officiant, and writer from Greenville, Delaware. He began writing at a young age, with short stories and journal entries eventually evolving into deeper recollections and intimate explorations of his life and identity. During his sophomore year of high school, he was honored to be named Poet Laureate of Valley Forge Military Academy.

Deeply fascinated by history and genealogy, Torrey playfully describes genealogy as “the history of the narcissistic historian.” Much of his contemporary poetry draws inspiration from family legends, tall tales, and stories passed down by his grandmother and relatives around the world. He often divides his poetry into two distinct modes: “Troy,” the name he uses more casually for playful, humorous, and sometimes raunchy pieces, and “Torrey,” under which he writes his more grounded, introspective work.

When he is not writing or attending community literary gatherings, Torrey continues to nurture his love of language and public speaking through his work as a Reverend with the Universal Life Church, officiating weddings and leading Celebrations of Life.

Torrey is also the founder and director of The Delaware Poets Almanac, a non-profit organization dedicated to uplifting contemporary poetry across the state through seminars, readings, and workshops that honor Delaware’s diverse literary heritage and communities.

His current writing projects include Glory Hill, a collection of biographical and pastoral reflections on Delaware, rooted in his upbringing and coming of age, and Hoopes, a book of essays on intentional living inspired by time spent around Hoopes Reservoir in northern Delaware, along the banks where he grew up.