Putting words to experienceBy David Sale, Newberg Graphic reporter
NEWBERG, OR--It takes time to write a book. For Newberg's Kat Ricker, it took 14 years.
Trillium Press is publishing a collection of poetry and prose Ricker wrote over the previous decade and a half. Titled "Something Familiar", the book will be available for pre-order in mid-July.
But Ricker has been quite busy in the meantime. Many of the poems in "Something Familiar" have already appeared in small press magazines and journals, and she has published short stories, magazine articles and journalism pieces since 1992.
"I always have several projects going at once -- I hate to limit myself to one particular thing," Ricker said. "But periodicals don't last long, unless a reader holds on to that particular copy. Books have a much longer life, and I wanted that for my work."
Originally from Ohio, Ricker attended Youngstown State University and earned a master's degree in professional writing from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania.
"I think I was born a writer," Ricker said, "but I owe a lot of inspiration to my father, who taught high school English for 30 years and is now working on a book of his own about the English language. All through my life, he's given me some of the best guidance -- I wouldn't be where I am without that."
Ricker's career has spanned numerous publications, and her specialty is health and fitness writing. A licensed personal trainer, her articles and editorials have appeared in such national magazines as Muscle & Fitness, Oxygen, and Natural Bodybuilding.
According to Ricker, poetry remained a focus, due in part to the influence of her graduate school professor William Boggs, himself a published poet.
"We send each other our work to this day," Ricker said.
"Someone once said: `Poetry is what evaporates from all translation,' and that really sums up what it means to me."
In turning to poetry, Ricker feels she is swimming against the tide of the publishing industry.
"My poems are little stories, peepholes into people's lives of moments I've encountered in the Midwest and Oregon," she said. "There's nothing cryptic about them -- it's not really the current style.
"That's what's so amazing about the Internet, because you can find an audience, publish immediately and connect with other writers. It's one of the best things that's ever come along."
Like many modern authors, Ricker has been quick to establish a presence online. She maintains a Web site devoted to her various interests at mightykat.net, and is also the editor of lonesouls.org, a Web site which collects the writings and artwork connected to the troubled-teen industry.
