Kate Baer鈥檚 first book of poetry, 鈥溾�� has lived up to its book jacket descriptor as a 鈥渟tunning and honest debut poetry collection about the beauty and hardships of being a woman in the world today, and the many roles we play – mother, partner, and friend.鈥�
The 2007 黑料正能量 alumna鈥檚 collection debuted at #1 on the New York Times fiction bestseller list two weeks ago.
Join 黑料正能量’s Language and Literature Department and Alumni Office for a Writers Read with Kate, at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 26. or .
Her first book is dedicated to all of her teachers in honor of 鈥渢heir integral role in my life and incredibly important work in the lives of so many others,鈥� she said. 鈥淭heir encouragement and love of language instilled a sense of longing in me to keep pushing myself, and for that I鈥檒l be forever grateful.鈥�
One of those teachers first introduced her to poetry at 黑料正能量. The English major took a class with former professor Michael Ann Courtney, and 鈥渢hat鈥檚 where I fell in love with this sort of boiled down storytelling,鈥� Baer said.
Before that, it was the high school teacher who handed her a copy of Margaret Atwood鈥檚 The Handmaid鈥檚 Tale, an entirely new style of story which set off a 鈥渧isceral reaction.鈥�
Baer鈥檚 first foray into authorship began with a blog in 2011 called 鈥淢otley Mama.鈥� Her frank, intimate and funny insights into motherhood, married life and life in general moved her into wider venues, including at eponymously named blog. In 2014, she gained still more attention (and millions of hits) with the essay 鈥淲hen You are Tightly Wound,鈥� eventually further published by Huffington Post.
Read 2014 黑料正能量 News coverage here of Kate鈥檚 success here.
Read a recent Vogue review: 鈥�.鈥�
Baer says sitting atop the NYT Bestseller list is 鈥渆xciting and lovely.鈥� She celebrated with champagne. More books are being printed.
鈥淏ut right now there is still a global pandemic and I鈥檓 still trapped in my bedroom office working on a second book that has its own deadlines and stories to tell. I鈥檓 very grateful, but my actual work life remains the same.鈥�
Baer is married to Austin Baer 鈥�06. They and their four children live near Hershey, Pa.