Question 1

What ARE you?

Accepted Answer

I am half-Greek, half-Russian-Jewish, born and raised in Chicago, in a culturally and religiously mixed marriage. My father was an immigrant who survived World War II; he was sixteen-years old when the Nazis invaded Greece, and he was forced to flee from his home and fight with the guerrilla movement against the German and Italian invaders. He left Greece in 1952 when he was twenty-eight years old - he didn’t know a word of English. My mother, a teacher, was the daughter of Jewish immigrants who fled Russia in 1913. Neither of them knew English when they arrived (my grandmother was seven and my grandfather was thirteen); even after they became citizens, they lived in fear of being discovered and deported for their liberal philosophical beliefs. They had me when they were older, and they died too early. (I was 17 when my dad died, 30 when my mom died.)

I am also: a writer, a college English teacher, a proud mom, a loving partner, a really good friend. I am also: bisexual/pansexual,(https://www.dictionary.com/e/bisexual-2019/?param=HP) a native Chicagoan, an adopted Angeleno, a gardener, a cook, a practitioner and teacher of yoga as well as a certified ACE health coach and personal trainer, an everyday walker (9K woot!), a firm believer in body inclusivity, a sometimes poet, and an eternal believer in hope.

Question 2

What are your pronouns?

Accepted Answer

she/her/they/them

Question 3

What motivated you to be a writer?

Accepted Answer

I’ve always loved writing. I was a freak of nature during college in that my most favorite part about school was writing essays, and after I graduated, I missed writing. I started taking creative writing classes when I was 25, and then just kept writing for myself. Ultimately, after I felt like I’d finally found confidence in my voice, I sought out publication.

Question 4

Did you go to school to be a writer? If so, which one?

Accepted Answer

Not technically. I hold a B.A. in English Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a M.A. in English from the University of California, Irvine. I do not have an MFA. I have taken classes via UCLA Extension and Litreactor – many of which were online.

Question 5

WAIT: You write books, teach full-time at a community college, AND teach yoga? And now you're going for a second Master's degree in Kinesiology of all things? How does it all fit together?

Accepted Answer

I know that these aspects of my life may seem like separate pursuits, but for me, they all fit together perfectly. I've written more about it here.(https://www.katherinekottaras.com/yoga.html)