Cathy Alter
Cathy Alter's feature articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in local and national newspapers and magazines, including the Washington Post, Washingtonian, the Atlantic, the Huffington Post, Self, McSweeney’s, and SMITH Magazine.
44 entries by Cathy Alter
The writer talks resilience and the steadfastness of women on the home front.
The debut novelist talks storytelling, quantum physics, and the unknowable-ness of family.
Happy birthday to “The Exorcist,” which premiered 50 years ago today!
The writer talks fission, scientific mysteries, and conserving a not-so-scary mummy.
The novelist talks Moscow, Jewish identity, and why everybody should read The Master and Margarita.
The novelist talks pools, addiction, and the aftermath of the DC derecho.
Recalling a long-ago obsession that helped fuel my latest book.
Why must they kill the Washington Post Magazine?
Why knitting is a lot like writing.
But when it comes to stories, mostly mine.
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It’s all in how you say it...
The debut novelist talks Chekhov, the USSR, and the allure of writing in English.
Real writers need real pens.
The memoirist talks medical mysteries, anxiety, and engaging with readers as a multifaceted Black woman.
What to do when your creativity tank is dry.
The writer/rapper talks hip-hop, strong women, and the power of eternal optimism.
I know I can’t do it!
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Why you, too, should get all your writing ideas from this site.
The writer talks DC, eavesdropping, and those strange types who wear their work badges after hours.
The unabashed thrill of returning to normal.
The playwright discusses musical theater, lived experience, and spinning a story in five parts.
The journalist talks swimsuits, scandals, and the fading allure of Miss America.
What I do for a living vs. what my son thinks I do…
Is it time to retire the borderline-insulting moniker?
The novelist talks singing in the choir, 1970s rock gods, and Mary Jane.
How an inconceivable family tragedy led to an ultimately hopeful memoir.
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In the Before Times, I answered these queries in person…
Which is why I’m sticking to nonfiction for now.
The novelist talks Havana, baseball, and which player enjoys God's view of the game.
So, no, you may not pick my brain!
To be honest, I love these pants-optional book events…
The writer discusses Mill Town, a decade-in-the-making book sparked by an obituary.
What we lose when we clean house.
The writer/poet/playwright talks process, imagery, and the psychic difficulty of crafting his latest memoir.
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Wrestling with my critical inner monologue.
How I keep writing through the pandemic.
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Apparently, Imposter Syndrome isn’t genetic.
The writer, speaker, certified trauma professional, and sexuality educator talks The Pleasure Plan.
The writer talks history, Southern Jews, and releasing a book during a pandemic.
Why I talk to people is why I write.
The author talks identity, spit kits, and the hidden pitfalls of untangling your DNA.
How bodice-rippers taught me to love reading.
…But it cures my writer’s block in endlessly different ways.
Yes, says the author. What’s true is true.