Dispatches from the middle

Jester. Runner. Writer. Improviser. Connoisseur of fine discomforts. Compulsive lister. Minister of Samesies. 

Professionally speaking, I hold a joint Ph.D. in German Languages, Literature, and Linguistics from the University of Alberta and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. With a background in international relations, program delivery, and technology development, I’ve fulfilled a number of roles fostering innovation at home and abroad. Most recently, I acted as COO, and subsequently, CXO at a local tech company, helping clients to envision and create better futures through data and storytelling.

On a more personal note, I could be the official mascot for imposter syndrome. I have a notably juvenile sense of humour, eat off the floor more than I probably should, and talk about guinea pigs way too much. Basically, I’m a grubby little human biting and clawing her way through life. My sincere hope is that, by sharing my experiences careening through this, our bright and fleeting tumult of humanity, I can help others feel a bit less alone in theirs.

I recently completed a memoir entitled Dispatches from the Middle of the Pack: The Pursuit of Enough in a Sport with No Limits. It is currently out in the world looking for a publishing home under the expert guidance of my literary agent. It examines ultra running, and my experiences as an enthusiastic, if decidedly less-than-competitive participant, with a good dose of humour, a pinch of science, and a meditation on the meaning and measure of achievement, aiming to deconstruct the restrictive and binary notions of success and failure that so often inform how we see, evaluate, and feel about ourselves, in order to understand how to be (and feel like) “enough.”

I can be reached at:

katelynpetersenwrites@gmail.com

I’m always interested in reviewing new books, or looking at old books in new ways, so please feel free to contact me with requests, suggestions, or ARCs.