About

Bio

Cathy Borders is the author of the Tarot for Writing Project: an online interlacing system that teaches writing through the Tarot, and teaches the Tarot through analogy using fairy tales, myths, classic literature, philosophy, film, and cartoons. Her latest book, Robin Williams Is My Uncle: And Other Stories We Possess, is a bricolage autotheory on alienation, art, and epigenetics told through the lens of Robin Williams’s children’s movies. She is also the author of A Suburb of Monogamy, a fictional translation of Roland Barthes’s A Lover’s Discourse. Suburb is an experimental romance about the invention, withdrawal, and body of a liaison. Her short fiction and academic essays can be found in various lit journals across the internet. She is the Executive Director of The Republic of Letters, an online lit hub dedicated to helping local authors get their books into the hands of local readers. She’s also the Creative Director of the quarterly reading series, Water Street Writers. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the New School in New York and a Bachelor’s degree in English literature and critical theory from the University of Iowa.

Her eldest daughter is a firecracker and an artist, and her toddler shows her all the sounds of the world. She writes experimental fantasy novels, inside-out love stories, and autotheory for fun. She loves popcorn, long walks through dense fog, and l’écriture féminine writing. She doesn’t like summer or her birthday. She’s allergic to bananas and the sun. Winter is her favorite season. The Dark Crystal and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? are her favorite movies. You can’t make her pick a favorite book. She gets a lot of migraines but she sees the art that happens inside. She’s a Ravenclaw and a Pentacles witch, and by that she just mean that she writes. She believes in art, as it’s the only thing that makes sense to her. She lives in the forest with her husband, daughters, and two warring cats.

“I have been working with Cathy Borders as an editor for many years, and she is literally the only person I trust to give me the real deal on my work. Indeed, I refer to her opinion to sort through the sometimes contradictory feedback of other readers of my work, and her reading always trumps the crowd. Her eye is fine, and acutely generous, able to enter into the writer’s personal universe without imposing her own upon it, always listening to the unique thread which makes a work a work, and not any other, and often making that line emerge when I myself had not been able to find it. Her line edits are deft, girded by years of deep readings of a vast array of different kinds of texts, and familiarity with the textual world and literary scene. Her capacity to grasp, sort through and propose structural shifts, cuts and additions to my work is always spot on, and her honesty is devastatingly kind. I know she will not lie to me if my work falls short, a rare and necessary quality in an editor. However, when it works, when it is good, and the work does what it has set out to do (and sometimes only she can see what that is), her support and encouragement is unflagging. I can very genuinely say that I would not have come this far, or indeed, gone anywhere at all as a writer, without her help. Sometimes I think I should list her as co-author.”

Lily Robert-Foley

“With an immense knowledge and experience in the world of writing, Cathy was able to help me start to realize the potential of my own. Drawing on Greek myths to vaporwave, she is familiar with almost any kind of narrative there can be, and will be able to guide your project to the best it can possibly be.”

Liam

“Cathy Borders has been my editor for some time now. She’s done an excellent job with both my poetry and children’s books. To me she’s more than an editor because she understands the direction I’m heading. Her suggestions are spot on and help build a stronger story. I like the fact that I can call her and work it out. We walk through each step to make sure I’m satisfied with the end product. She’s a fine writer in her own right so she understands the rigors of being an author. I highly recommend her and I’m glad she’s on board with my writing endeavors. Five stars from me!!”

Leo Zarko

“Cathy Borders skillfully and patiently birthed my book while managing to maintain my voice and point of view despite having no previous background in Chinese medicine, aromatherapy, or Daoist philosophy.”

Evelyn Robert

“I am currently working on completing my second book and needed professional assistance. Cathy has been an amazing resource for writing, critiquing and editing my content. This process has been easy and timely. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to help me finish my project.”

Jennifer Mercier

“If I had to choose a word to describe working with Cathy Borders, I’d have to use a word from my next book, which I hope she’ll be available to edit. That word would be poly-luminous. In a world where the majority of people are binary thinkers, drifting between good and bad, right and wrong, up and down, the poly-luminous thinker sees all the possibilities as things evolve. This was so true of Cathy. Whether a single word or the construction of a chapter, her approach was open, honest, and brilliant. I’ve listened to a number of my writer friends complain about their books being edited but frankly, I have no complaints. In fact, it was joyful and inspiring. She made my book better and helped me think about the way I write. Anyone who has the opportunity to work with her will be lucky.”

Michael Foley

“Republic of Letters is a wonderful resource for both novice and seasoned authors. The individual attention to detail and creative cushion is reason enough to explore their editing suite. If you are a writer looking for a soft place to land but wish to be bolstered with the confidence that your work is being exceptionally critiqued, the Republic of Letters is for you. Simply, I am a better writer because of Cathy, and by extension, Ryan and their organization. As a writer/director filmmaker, I came on board to adapt my short film into a children’s book. I am half-way through the process, and I have no doubt, that the completed project will be exactly better than what I imagined.”

Kailyne Waters

“I submitted a tome of seven hundred pages to Republic of Letters for editing. This was my first submission to an editor and I’m grateful and fortunate to have worked with this organization and Cathy Borders in particular. Despite that I have limited understanding in crafting a story, I never felt like the novice that I am. Cathy supported me every step of the way, encouraging questions and answering every one of them with clarity. Her edits were abundant (exactly what I needed) and her insights are of excellent value. I especially appreciate the one-on-one time she spent with me at the end of the project. I have come away from this process a better writer and a little wiser on how to express my opinions. Considering the scope of the project, the length of time it took to complete was very reasonable. I will, without hesitation, submit my next book to Republic of Letters.”

Michael Bauch