Katherine Gotthardt

Poet

Author's Bio

Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt, M.Ed., writing concentration, hails from the Northern Virginia/D.C. metro area. Born in Billerica, Massachusetts, she considers herself a writer by nature and by trade, having begun writing as soon as her mother helped teach her to read. She received her associates degree from Middlesex Community College, her bachelor's in English from University of Massachusetts Lowell and her master's in education with a writing concentration from Cambridge College. Her first published poem, "Remembering Thoreau," appeared in ELF: Eclectic Literary Forum in in the early 1990s. Since then, her work has appeared in publications such as Yankee, Frogpond, Haigh-Ashbury Literary Journal, Panapoly, North of Oxford, The Southern Quill and in dozens of other journals, anthologies, books and online media. Her poetry has been taught in secondary and post-secondary classrooms and workshops. As of 2023, she has had 11 books published and has received numerous awards and recognition for her work.

Publications & Prizes

Book:
Thirty Years of Cardinals Calling (San Francisco Bay Press, 2022)
Prizes won: 

Katherine Gotthardt has been a Prince William County, Virginia Poet Laureate nominee and was the winner of Inside Nova’s 2019 and 2020 Best of Prince William award in the category of author. Her poetry and prose book Get Happy, Dammit: Staying Inspired and Motivated in an Often-Unhappy World received a Silver Award from the Nonfiction Authors Association. Gotthardt's children’s book, A Crane Named Steve, hit number one in its category on Amazon in 2019. She then took first place in the free verse category of Loudoun County Library Foundation’s 2020 Rhyme On poetry contest for her piece "Discussion Topic." The Prince William Arts Council and Poet Laureate Circle awarded her the 2020 Outstanding Poetry Project Award for her leadership in Write by the Rails' Poems Around Town poetry installation. In 2021 Gotthardt earned second place for "Aftermath" in a Poetry Society of Virginia national contest and the regional Seefeldt Award for Arts Excellence in the category of Individual Artist. She won first place in the Virginia Writers Club statewide Golden Nib contest in the poetry category for her poem "Kayak." Gotthardt was recognized as a PW Perspective 2021 DMV Best Business award winner in the category of author. In April 2023, her poem “Now Entering Manassas” was the winner of Manassas, Virginia's adult “time capsule” poetry contest. Gotthardt read her poem at the 150th anniversary celebration, the translated version by Jorge de Villasante was read in Spanish by Bianca Menendez, her poem was published in Neighbors of Historic Manassas magazine, and it was included in the city’s time capsule.

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors: 
Henry David Thoreau Langston Hughes Mary Oliver Gabriel García Márquez

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
Mixed-Race
Prefers to work with: 
Any
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
Arlington, MA
Massachusetts
Raised in: 
Billerica, MA
Massachusetts
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Apr 15, 2023