“I worked as a software engineer at IBM, then a project manager at Lexmark,” states Katerina. She continues, “That is how I got to Kentucky. I had been writing since I was 8 years old and wrote until I was 24. But when I immigrated to the United States I imagined the loss of a writing community and the loss of language caused me to stop writing for about 11 years.”

She attended her first writing residency program at Spalding University and three days into it, she knew she had finally found her true calling. She went back to her boss and tried working an abbreviated schedule, but for Katerina, she knew that her current career was over. She quit with a giant leap of faith and to the amazement of her colleagues at Lexmark. By the end of the two years of her MFA, not only did she leave with her degree, but had started a popular radio show and Accents Publishing!

When asked about the state of the literary community in Kentucky, she shared her intimate perspective. “I have been involved for 17 or 18 years in the Kentucky literary community,” explains Katerina. “What I see is a vibrant community of people who want to do their best and for the most part, want to help others to do their best. What I notice are more and more books being published, more and more people finding ways to complete their projects and have those published. In a real sense, that means someone’s dreams are coming true.”

As a person who has been there in support of the Foundation, Katerina talks about the importance of win-win situations. “I like to think I would lend my support to any organization or person trying to do good things with the right mindset. From the beginning, the Foundation has tried to support others in a way that is constructive and a win-win. The James Baker Hall Foundation is helping their partners flourish and [are] supporting them in a way to lead and to build alliances.”

The Foundation is grateful for Katerina’s guidance and support over the past several years as we have been getting established. Her partnership is of the highest importance and we look forward to future projects with her and Accents Publishing.

Please check out Accent’s website between Accents Publishing’s birthday (January 5th) and February 15th, the entire catalog is on sale: 30% off all books plus free domestic shipping on purchases of three or more titles. Visit https://www.accents-publishing.com/books.html to learn more.