My name is KATE ROUNDS.
My best friend’s mother owned a typewriter. I was mesmerized by the keyboard and the hum of the machine. I could make it work, but I couldn’t make it write.
That was my first introduction to the machinery of journalism. My first story was about a blade of grass that got murdered by a lawnmower. I still love true crime.
A veteran journalist, I’ve been a freelance writer, staff reporter, staff writer, and editor in chief of a trade publication. But I hit my stride at Ms. Magazine, where I was Senior Editor, News Editor, and Gloria Steinem’s editor. This job put me in the orbit of great feminist writers, artists, and thinkers.
My next job, as Executive Editor at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, connected me with stellar activists and brave advocates for women’s health and safety. As speechwriter to the President, I learned the delicate art of making my words sound like hers. For the last 14 years, as Editor in Chief of the Hudson Reporter organization, I’ve mentored young reporters cutting their teeth on local news.
I have an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College; my first novel CATBOAT ROAD will be published by Bywater Books in September 2022.
I live in Jersey City without a cat.
Author photo by Shane Henken
