These days, I do quite a bit of writing on Medium at https://medium.com/@katharinevalentino/. Please see the About section there for my bio, and please review my most recent creative nonfiction and political and self-help articles. Writing is a lonely endeavor; I'd like to be part of a community of writers who can provide constructive criticism I can use to do my best work. I will give equal time to other writers' work.   

The Nebraska Review published a poem of mine in the 1980s. I was ecstatic. Shortly thereafter, The Christian Science Monitor published an op-ed I wrote titled, "Questioning Spike Lee." Then came graduate school, and the publication of a critical book review. Writing the review, I became self-conscious of employing techniques that I had acquired in my philosophy Ph.D. program. In a sense, the subjective disappointment of that writing assignment explains the fact that I am taking the time to write this at all.

I want to write myself out onto the world in a manner that forges a connection between my words and my thoughts, but also a connection between my thoughts and my readers. I find this baffling, sometimes believing that I am attempting something akin to performing open-heart surgery with a violin. I did self-publish a memoir, written while using alcohol as anesthesia, with predictable results. (I lost a child custody case in which the book was accepted as an exhibit, while my sober testimony was largely ignored.) Poetry has enabled me to come closest to realizing my writing goal, and sometimes songwriting, but I am back on the memoir horse en route to an anticipated philosophical oasis. Humbled, I'm turning in my Lone Ranger badge and looking for a likeminded, singleness-of-purpose, posse.

Hello, dear reader of my bio, I'm glad you stumbled upon my profile. I'm mainly looking for a group to bounce ideas off of and connect with about writing. All genres and formats are welcome, though, I'll admit, I'm rather partial to literary fiction and short fiction. 

I obtained my BA in Creative Writing from Louisiana State University  in 2005. I recently graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary with a MA in Theology with an interest in International Development and Urban Studies. I was ordained April 2021.  While serving as Director of Student Ministries for Elm Grove Baptist Church, I am currently writing scholarly articles in Religion and a memoir from a womanist theological perspective.  I look forward to our journey together.  

 I am currently finishing up a BA in English Creative Writing. I have a profile on Medium where I write poems and non-fiction literary pieces. I have a instagram page dedicated to poetry I've created. Otherwise I am learning how to become a better writer and trying to enter the writing communities that exist.

I am looking for a group of writers who want to talk about the writing process and workshop each other's pieces. I have both formal workshop experience through my university, as well as more informal experience with my writing group.