As an avid reader and dedicated writer, Kate loves words in all their incarnations but especially when they are arranged into poems, novels, essays, lyrics, proverbs, jokes, and folk tales. Besides songs, Kate writes poems and essays, and most recently, she has been working on a novel. For more information about poetry readings, new publications, and other literary news, check out the News page.

Kate’s reflections on music – making it, listening to it, recording it – can be found in her blog, The Green Wave.

Some of Kate’s published poems are available on-line:

• "How does he know?" in Goblin Fruit (Summer 2007)
• “The Two Anns Help Me Make My Bed” in Wild Violet, Vol. 4, Issue 2 (2005)
• “Coming Back After a Long Spell Away” in Albatross #16 (2005)
• “Cables” in Beloit Poetry Journal (Winter 1994)

A New Book Available Here: Brigit's Woven World! $10

The Harp-Boat, a chapbook of poems inspired by Kate’s father, a Maine lobsterman, and winner of the 2007 Kulupi Press “Sense of Place” Chapbook Contest is available for purchase from PayPal.

A year ago April, I wrote a poem every day in honor of National Poetry Month. The very first poem I wrote that month was called “Fisherman, Fatherman,” and that set me dreaming about putting together a small book of poems about my father, a Maine fisherman. I could even picture the cover in my mind's eye: a photograph of my dad fixing lobster-traps in the September sun, smiling his proud smile, the Saco River gleaming in the background. The dream fermented, as dreams do, and I felt both excited and restful about it. I continued to write poems and found that many of them quite naturally pointed to my father and our family's relationship to the sea. That summer I learned that Kulupi Press of Glen Ellen, CA was sponsoring a “Sense of Place” chapbook contest, and I decided to enter. It was a joy to assemble the chapbook and to read a broader arc of meaning in these poems and in my life. In September last year, I learned that my book had won the 2007 contest and would be published. Arthur Dawson and Rebecca Lawton, the publishers and judges of the contest, explained their choice: “We chose The Harp-Boat for its high poetic quality, the unique way it developed a sense of place through the poet’s family experiences and relation-ships, and the strong sense of the person behind the words.” ~ Arthur Dawson & Rebecca Lawton

When Arthur instructed me to get a quote for the back cover from a well-known local poet, my first thought was Kate Barnes, my favorite living poet and a Maine Poet Laureate Emerita. She supplied a quote that I could read everyday of my life and still feel its thrill! Here's a bit of it:

“This lively, intelligent poetry is also attractively musical. It is a feast of pleasure and meaning for any reader.”

~ Kate Barnes

A few weeks ago "The Harp-Boat" arrived and I felt the amazement of a dream come true. There was the picture of my father (on the back cover, next to my own), there were Kate Barnes' beautiful words, there was the dedication to my father and my big brother, Dan. And in all of that is the sense of coming full circle, the immense privilege of celebrating my father's life, the world of Saco and Camp Ellis, ME, and my own inheritance: the sea.

Irish Song Material

Here is a link to some of Kate's Irish singing class material: Singing in Irish Materials