Kathryn Kysar

Poet

Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota US
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Author's Bio

Kathryn Kysar is the author of two books of poetry, Dark Lake and Pretend the World, and she edited the anthology Riding Shotgun:  Women Write About Their Mothers.  She has received fellowships and residencies from the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Tofte Lake Center, the Oberholtzer Foundation, and Write On, Door County. Her poems, book reviews, travel articles, and essays have been published in the Minneapolis Star TribuneMinnesota Women’s PressMom Egg ReviewStone Coast ReviewGreat River ReviewPermafrostMidland ReviewMizna, and many other magazines and anthologies.  She is the founder of the creative writing program at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, and she has served on the boards of directors for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs and Rain Taxi. Kysar teaches workshops and offers manuscript consultations through the Loft Literary Center. Her most recent project was a collaborative CD of poems from Pretend the World. She performs with the Sonoglyph Collective, a poetry/improvisational jazz group, and resides with her family in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Publications & Prizes

Books:
Pretend the World (Holy Cow! Press, 2011)
,
Riding Shotgun: Women Write About Their Mothers (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2008)
,
Dark Lake (Loonfeather Press, 2002)
Prizes won: 

Selected Arts Grants, Awards, and Residencies:

  • Write On, Door County. Residency. January 2022.
  • Tofte Lake Center. Residency. June 2021.
  • Mallard Island Residency. The Oberholtzer Foundation. August 2017.
  • Minnesota State Arts Board Grant. Artists Initiative grant. 2013 and 2008.
  • Madeline Island Center for the Arts. Writing Residency. July 2012.
  • Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies. Artist Residency. October 2009.
  • Changemakers’ Award. Minnesota Women’s Press, Saint Paul, Minnesota. December 24, 2008.
  • Fellowship Finalist. Loft/McKnight Artist Fellowship for Writers. 2008. 
  • “What Light” poetry winner. mnartists.org. May 2007.
  • Jerome/SASE Fellowship finalist. SASE: The Write Place. September 2002.
  • Writer-in-Residence. Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts, Fridley, Minnesota. 2002-2003.
  • SASE 6th Annual Poetry contest. Spring 2002.
  • Lake Superior Writer’s contest, Lake Superior Writer’s. Poetry winner. January 2002.
  • Jerome/SASE Fellowship finalist. SASE: The Write Place, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  September 2001.
  • Diane Glancy Award for Poetry. Dust and Fire. Spring 2001.

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
German American
Prefers to work with: 
Adults, Disability, Illness/Wellness, Incarcerated individuals, LGBTQ, Naturalists/Environmentalists, Parents, Teachers, Veterans, Women
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
Winfield, KS
Kansas
Raised in: 
Saint Paul, MN
Minnesota
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Mar 11, 2022