Kate Tighe
Writer
My stories have appeared in American Short Fiction, as an Audible Original, and in Blackbird, Electric Literature, Grist, Passages North, River River, and Willow Springs. I earned my MFA at the University of Kentucky and am represented by Rebecca Gradinger and Sarah Fuentes at United Talent Artists.
Read with me!
My work
American Short Fiction. "Neighbors." Issue 79. Summer 2024.
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Audible Original. "Bunn-O." 2020.
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Electric Literature. "Nuclear." 2020.
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Blackbird. "Postcard." 2019.
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Grist Online. "Fishing for Mermaids." 2018.
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Passages North. "You Have Arrived at the Marriot Miyako Hotel." 2018.
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River River. "A Good Death." 2018. (no longer available).
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Willow Springs . "The Elegant Universe ." Issue 83. 2018.
CORRESPONDENCE COURSE
Read With Me
Spring 2026
Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism Reading Group
A 16-week correspondence course for citizens
"In an ever-changing, incomprehensible world the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true."
—Hannah Arendt
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​Written in the aftermath of Nazi Germany, The Origins of Totalitarianism is brilliant excavation of the conditions that make ordinary people susceptible to totalitarian movements—conditions that feel unnervingly familiar. Arendt's analysis of how atomized individuals become participants in their own oppression speaks directly to our current political moment.
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But few understand the personal crucible from which this work emerged. As a young Jewish woman in Germany, Arendt had an intense intellectual and romantic relationship with Martin Heidegger, the philosopher who would become a Nazi apologist. Their letters reveal how Arendt came to understand the psychology of collaboration and complicity with devastating clarity.
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Through her seminal work, her correspondence with Heidegger, and some of her poetry, we will trace the development of her analysis about how entire populations surrender freedom.​
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All communication through letters sent by mail.
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1/31 - 5/25
$450
limited to 8 students
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About this class
Students will read passages from Origins of Totalitarianism, and selections of Arendt's letters and poetry outside of class and will come prepared to discuss. Students will also generate new work (fiction or creative nonfiction) in class, depicting characters that hold contradictory beliefs or comforting fictions.
This abbreviated version is for you, if you:
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just want a primer
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love meeting new people
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are a writer and want to use these ideas as a starting point for your own work
"Kate does such a wonderful job with encouraging and drawing out beautiful pieces of embodied work. I learned so much, both from her and the rest of our cohort."
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- Student in "Writing the Body in Late Capitalism" through The Porch
(Fall 2025)
"Kate's class was the best way to spend a Tuesday night: enthralled and inspired."
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- Student in "Writing the Body in Late Capitalism" through The Porch
(Fall 2025)
"Kate's class gave me a whole new way to connect to writing (and reading!) and gave me whole new ways to explore ideas. Couldn't be happier!"
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- Student in "Writing the Body in Late Capitalism" through The Porch
(Fall 2025)
MANUSCRIPT CONSULTATIONS
Your manuscript deserves a champion.
I'll help you find your story's heart, sharpen every sentence, and make your work submission ready.