Kitty Taylor
About
Kitty has always found her closest friends and truest self in the written word. She studied literature and professional writing at Western Carolina University and received a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School. In a yearlong residency as a hospital chaplain, Kitty found her niche in creative nonfiction. She has written for Ministry Matters and She Is Kindred, and was a contributing essayist in Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It: Life Journeys Inspired by the Bestselling Memoir. Kitty is currently working on her first book – an essay collection that blends spirituality with public transportation.
Hi, friends. Kitty here. Thus far, life has given me the opportunity to serve as a library lady, a legal advocate for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, a hospital chaplain, and a sandwich artist, with writing always in the mix. Stories never fail to pull me in and the invitation to capture those I have witnessed or those I have experienced is my greatest joy. It’s also the place where I feel my most honest, connected, authentic self.
I am drawn to the big questions and all of the little questions that help us break them down into bite-size possibilities. Asking matters. Listening matters more.
Writing is, for me, a practice in vulnerability – one that I hope will engage my students in the beautiful, messy, glorious, terrible, brilliant, complicated gift of being a person in the world. My goal is to create a safe space where writers can connect more deeply with their own stories and each other.
Education:
Bachelor of Arts, English – Western Carolina University, 2003;
Master of Theological Studies – Vanderbilt Divinity School, 2010;
Clinical Pastoral Education – St. Thomas/Nashville CPE Partnership, 2012;
Grief Support Specialist Certificate – University of Wisconsin-Madison, Continuing Studies, 2021;
Publications:
“The Unheard Cry of the Rural Poor.” Ministry Matters, Nov 2015;
“Recognizing Myself.” Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It: Life Journeys Inspired by the Bestselling Memoir, 2016;
“The Unheard Cry of the Levite Concubine.” Ministry Matters, Oct 2016;
“Nevertheless, She Resisted.” Ministry Matters, Mar 2018;
“Truth and Salt.” Ministry Matters, Sept 2018;
“Every Body Has A Story.” She is Kindred, June 2022;
Once upon a time I read a line from Fr. Richard Rohr that, had I not already been curled up with a blanket, would have knocked me off my feet...
"Spirituality is always eventually about what you do with your pain."
This is why we write about our grief, even when, especially when we think we can't.