Katrina Kenison is an American author of literary memoir and nonfiction about parenting, life stages, mindfulness, and simplicity. Her first book, ''Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry'', published in 2000, encourages parents of young children to restore balance and stillness to lives often spent on the run. "Inspirational and life-affirming, it offers reminders of what is of lasting value, such as grace, love, tranquility." In 2009, Kenison published ''The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir,'' an exploration of the challenges and rewards of parenting adolescents. Her memoir ''Magical Journey: An Apprenticeship in Contentment'', published in January 2013, is a personal account of the losses and lessons of the second half of life. Kenison is also the author, with Rolf Gates, of ''Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga''. A graduate of

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

, she lives in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

with her husband, Steven Lewers, and is the mother of two grown sons. She is a yoga instructor and a Reiki practitioner. "I've come to see paying attention as a spiritual practice," Kenison says. "I write to remind myself that life's seemingly mundane moments are often where we find beauty, grace, and transformation. When we race through life, we miss it." A former literary editor at

Houghton Mifflin The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

, Kenison published works by

Olive Ann Burns Olive Ann Burns (July 17, 1924 – July 4, 1990) was an American writer from Georgia best known for her single completed novel, '' Cold Sassy Tree'', published in 1984. Background Olive Ann Burns was born in Banks County, Georgia. Her father wa ...

Calvin Trillin Calvin Marshall Trillin (born 5 December 1935) is an American journalist, humorist, food writer, poet, memoirist and novelist. He is a winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor (2012) and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts an ...

Jane Hamilton Jane Hamilton (born July 13, 1957) is an American novelist. Early life Jane Hamilton was born and grew up in Oak Park, Illinois (U.S.), the youngest of five children. She won prizes for poetry and short stories throughout high school and colleg ...

Donald Hall Donald Andrew Hall Jr. (September 20, 1928 – June 23, 2018) was an American poet, writer, editor and literary critic. He was the author of over 50 books across several genres from children's literature, biography, memoir, essays, and includin ...

Thomas Mallon Thomas Mallon (born November 2, 1951) is an American novelist, essayist, and critic. His novels are renowned for their attention to historical detail and context and for the author's crisp wit and interest in the "bystanders" to larger historical ...

Bruce Duffy Bruce Michael Duffy (June 9, 1951February 10, 2022) was an American author. He was best known for his novel ''The World as I Found It'' (1987). Duffy went on to write two more novels. He won a Whiting Award and received a Guggenheim Fellows ...

, and others. She became the fourth series editor of the ''

Best American Short Stories The Best American Short Stories yearly anthology is a part of ''The Best American Series'' published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Since 1915, the BASS anthology has striven to contain the best short stories by some of the best-known writers in con ...

'' in 1990, a post she held through 2006. She co-edited, with

John Updike John Hoyer Updike (March 18, 1932 – January 27, 2009) was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once (the others being Booth ...

, ''The Best Short Stories of the Century'' (1999). Kenison's work has appeared in ''

O, the Oprah Magazine ''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications. Overview It was first published on April 19, 2000. , its average paid circulation was ...

'', ''

Real Simple ''Real Simple'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. The magazine features articles and information related to homemaking, childcare, cooking, and emotional well-being. The magazine is distinguished by its clean, unclut ...

'', ''

Woman's Day ''Woman's Day'' is an American women's monthly magazine that covers such topics as homemaking, food, nutrition, physical fitness, physical attractiveness, and fashion. The print edition is one of the Seven Sisters magazines. The magazine was fir ...

Parenting Parenting or child rearing promotes and supports the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the intricacies of raising a child and not exclusively for a ...

FamilyFun ''FamilyFun'' is a family magazine published 8 times annually by Dotdash Meredith. History and profile Launched in 1991 by Jake Winebaum, ''FamilyFun'' is written for parents with children aged 3 to 12, and focuses on family cooking, vacations, ...

Health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

'', and other publications.

Bibliography

* ''Magical Journey: An Apprenticeship in Contentment'', Grand Central Publishing, 2013. * ''The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother's Memoir'', Grand Central Publishing, 2009. According to WorldCat, the book is held in 436 libraries * ''The Best American Short Stories 2006'', edited with

Ann Patchett Ann Patchett (born December 2, 1963) is an American author. She received the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the same year, for her novel ''Bel Canto''. Patchett's other novels include '' The Patron Saint of Liars'' (1 ...

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007 * ''The Best American Short Stories 2005'', edited with

Michael Chabon Michael Chabon ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, DC, he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, gr ...

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 * ''The Best American Short Stories 2004'', edited with

Lorrie Moore Lorrie Moore (born Marie Lorena Moore; January 13, 1957) is an American writer. Biography Marie Lorena Moore was born in Glens Falls, New York, and nicknamed "Lorrie" by her parents. She attended St. Lawrence University. At 19, she won ''Seve ...

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005 * ''The Best American Short Stories 2003'', edited with

Walter Mosley Walter Ellis Mosley (born January 12, 1952) is an American novelist, most widely recognized for his crime fiction. He has written a series of best-selling historical mysteries featuring the hard-boiled detective Easy Rawlins, a black private inv ...

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004 * ''The Best American Short Stories 2002'', edited with Sue Miller, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003 * ''Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga'', with Rolf Gates, Anchor Books: Random House, 2002 * ''The Best American Short Stories 2001'', edited with

Barbara Kingsolver Barbara Kingsolver (born April 8, 1955) is an American novelist, essayist and poet. She was raised in rural Kentucky and lived briefly in the Congo in her early childhood. Kingsolver earned degrees in biology at DePauw University and the Univers ...

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002 * ''The Best American Short Stories 2000'', edited with

E. L. Doctorow Edgar Lawrence Doctorow (January 6, 1931 – July 21, 2015) was an American novelist, editor, and professor, best known for his works of historical fiction. He wrote twelve novels, three volumes of short fiction and a stage drama. They included ...

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001 * ''Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry'', Grand Central Publishing, 2000 * ''The Best American Short Stories 1999'', edited with

Amy Tan Amy Ruth Tan (born on February 19, 1952) is an American author known for the novel '' The Joy Luck Club,'' which was adapted into a film of the same name, as well as other novels, short story collections, and children's books. Tan has written ...

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000 * ''The Best American Short Stories of the Century'', edited with

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999 According to WorldCat, the book is held in 2054 libraries WorldCat item record
/ref> * ''The Best American Short Stories 1998'', edited with

Garrison Keillor Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (; born August 7, 1942) is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show ''A Prairie Home Companion'' (called ''Garrison Keillor's Radio ...

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999 * ''The Best American Short Stories 1997'', edited with

Annie Proulx Edna Ann Proulx (; born August 22, 1935) is an American novelist, short story writer, and journalist. She has written most frequently as Annie Proulx but has also used the names E. Annie Proulx and E.A. Proulx. She won the PEN/Faulkner Award fo ...

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998 * ''The Best American Short Stories 1996'', edited with

John Edgar Wideman John Edgar Wideman (born June 14, 1941) is an American novelist, short story writer, memoirist, and essayist. He was the first person to win the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction twice. His writing is known for experimental techniques and a focus o ...

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997 * ''Mothers: Twenty Stories of Contemporary Motherhood'', edited with Kathleen Hirsch, North Point Press: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1996 * ''The Best American Short Stories 1995'', edited with

Jane Smiley Jane Smiley (born September 26, 1949) is an American novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 for her novel ''A Thousand Acres'' (1991). Biography Born in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a su ...

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1996 * '' The Best American Short Stories 1994'', edited with

Tobias Wolff Tobias is the transliteration of the Greek which is a translation of the Hebrew biblical name he, טוֹבִיה, Toviyah, JahGod is good, label=none. With the biblical Book of Tobias being present in the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha of the Bible, To ...

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995 * ''The Best American Short Stories 1993'', edited with

Louise Erdrich Louise Erdrich ( ; born Karen Louise Erdrich, June 7, 1954) is an American author of novels, poetry, and children's books featuring Native American characters and settings. She is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indian ...

, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994 * ''The Best American Short Stories 1992'', edited with Robert Stone, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993 * ''Leaving Cold Sassy: The Unfinished Sequel to Cold Sassy Tree'' by

, with a reminiscence by Katrina Kenison, Ticknor & Fields: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992 * ''The Best American Short Stories 1991'', edited with Alice Adams, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992

References

External links

Katrina Kenison, website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenison, Katrina American columnists American literary editors American memoirists American non-fiction writers Living people Reiki practitioners Smith College alumni Writers from New Hampshire Year of birth missing (living people)