Kathleen McCleary

Kathleen McCleary is a journalist and author whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Ladies Home Journal, More, and Good Housekeeping. She has written three novels: “House and Home” (2008); “A Simple Thing” (2012), which was recently nominated for the Library of Virginia Literary Awards in fiction; and “Leaving Haven” (Oct., 2013). When she’s not writing, Kathleen teaches writing. She has taught as an adjunct professor at American University, and is an instructor with Writopia Labs, a non-profit that teaches creative writing to kids. She has also worked as a barista in an independently owned coffee shop, and as a bookseller for Barnes & Noble. She enjoys crafting things and over the years has learned how to knit, hook rugs, sew, carve wood, make dovetail joints with hand tools, blow glass, and make butterscotch pudding from scratch. She is fascinated by remote places and has visited Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, Alaska, the San Juan Islands, the Appalachians, and the Adirondacks. She currently lives in northern Virginia with her husband and two daughters.