​

E. Katherine Kottaras is an acclaimed author for both children and adults as well as an experienced educator with over 25 years of teaching experience across all age groups. Katherine offers engaging presentations and workshops for schools, libraries, conferences, and community groups.

​

How to Be Brave: On Fear and Writing

This workshop tackles the universal challenge of writer's block and the intimidation of facing a blank page.

• Through whole-bodied, playful, compassionate guided exercises, collaborative activities, and inspiring prompts, participants will unlock their creative flow and discover sustainable writing practices

• Writers of all levels will learn techniques to transform fear into creative fuel, building confidence and establishing a consistent writing rhythm

• The session creates a supportive environment where vulnerability becomes strength and hesitation transforms into creative momentum

​

Slow Down Circle: Grounded Writing Sessions

This nurturing workshop combines gentle seated movement, intentional breath work, focused writing, and reflective journaling.

• Participants engage in supportive community check-ins, receiving personalized creativity coaching and building meaningful connections through shared creative practice

• The circle creates a safe container for exploration, allowing participants to access deeper layers of creativity and expression

• Designed specifically for all creatives who encounter resistance when facing the blank page, offering practical tools for sustainable creative practice

​

"How to Come Out to the Jasmine First": A Queer Nature Memoir Workshop

Inspired by on Katherine's upcoming book How to Come Out to the Jasmine First: On Writing and Loving in the Natural World, this workshop invites LGBTQ+ writers to explore the intersections of queer identity and the natural world through memoir writing. Participants will:

• Discover how queerness informs our unique relationships with landscapes, plants, and ecological systems

• Explore how nature can become a witness and confidant for coming out stories and affirming identity

• Develop writing that honors both environmental connection and authentic queer experiences

• Create personal narratives that challenge heteronormative nature writing traditions

The workshop includes guided nature-based meditation practices and collaborative writing exercises that help participants find voice and community. Katherine provides a compassionate framework for embracing wholeness, celebrating the rich diversity of queer ecological perspectives.

​

Open to writers at all levels who identify as LGBTQ+ or are questioning/exploring their identity.

 

Hybrid-Indie Publishing Success: From Manuscript to Market

This comprehensive workshop guides writers through the entire self-publishing journey, from finalizing manuscripts to developing effective marketing strategies

• Participants will learn practical skills for book formatting, cover design, platform selection, metadata optimization, and building an author brand that resonates with readers

• Through hands-on exercises, writers will develop their unique author story, identify target audiences, and create sustainable publishing schedules aligned with their personal goals

• Designed for writers at any stage who want to navigate the indie publishing landscape with confidence while maintaining authentic connection to their creative purpose

​

Katherine Kottaras has been a successful hybrid author since 2015, publishing traditionally with Penguin/Viking and Macmillan/St. Martin's Press while building her independent publishing career. Her publications include How to Be Brave, The Best Possible Answer, A Rainbow Inside My Body: Finding Peace Through Yoga, Breathing, and the Chakras, and the upcoming How to Come Out to the Jasmine First: On Writing and Loving in the Natural World. Her work has also appeared in Writer's Digest, The Yoga and Body Coalition, Elephant Journal, and various literary anthologies. As an Associate Professor of English and mindfulness teacher with over two decades of experience, Katherine brings both academic knowledge and practical publishing expertise to help participants explore first steps as independent or hybrid author.