Writer of facts and fiction

I write stories and novels inspired by sets of facts and bodies of knowledge. I'm a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and my writing appears in Iron Horse, Stone Canoe, Sport Literate, and elsewhere. I'm at work on a novel about a strained friendship and short stories involving dandelions, exoplanets and a Mars rover.

As a writer for Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences, I report on faculty research in a wide range of subjects. In recent favorites I've learned that: the universe will end in a big crunch; politicians are not ignoring you, and improvising takes vulnerability and courage.

I love to connect with people in the writing community. And fellow runners and theater geeks, too.

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Recent Blog Posts

Vertical orientation

By Kate Blackwood | June 30, 2026

I’ve always lived and thought in flat planes: lake land, ocean, prairie. A week at elevation this month flipped my picture.

You can eat dandelions, but I don’t recommend it

By Kate Blackwood | May 31, 2026

Thrive: Dandelions exemplify the concept

Plastic hunt

By Kate Blackwood | April 30, 2026

No disrespect to the classmates and their parents who gave my son cute Valentine gifts, but isn’t this a miniature instance of plastic inflation?

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