Welcome to the online home of Kate Asche–writer, teacher, editor, literary community builder

Thanks for stopping by! Kate helps writers at all stages in their practices discover, embrace, hone, and share their unique voices and one-of-a-kind stories in all genres. Through this work, Kate’s own practice constantly grows and changes, and she understands first-hand the importance of accessing a committed, honoring and inspiring writing community. Have a look around–you’ll find the Resources, Workshops and Sub Parties pages of great use to you as a practicing writer. Get to know Kate better by reading her blog, Kate’s Miscellany, and checking out her work below and on her chapbook page, Our Day in the Labyrinth. Thinking about working with Kate? Visit the Workshops, Coaching and Testimonial pages to learn more! And if you want to get Kate’s e-newsletter about local literary events and opportunities, write her at kate (at) kateasche (dot) com to be added today!

Meet Kate

Kate Asche, M.A., writes poetry, essays and short stories. A graduate of the UC Davis Creative Writing Program, she is a writing teacher and literary community builder in Sacramento, CA. Her first poetry collection, the chapbook Our Day in the Labyrinth, was published by Finishing Line Press in September 2015. Her poetry was recently published in Denver Quarterly, DIAGRAM and The Pinch, as well as in fine Northern California publications including Switchback, Canary, Santa Clara Review and Tule Review. Her poem for two voices was a finalist for the 2011 Audio Prize at The Missouri Review, and her poetry has appeared in Colorado Review, Natural Bridge, Bellingham Review, RHINO, the 2012 anthology Late Peaches: Poems by Sacramento Poets and elsewhere. Her creative nonfiction has appeared in Under the Gum Tree. She has received a grant to attend the 2017 Napa Valley Writers’ Conference and a fellowship to the 2015 Writing By Writers Workshops at Tomales Bay, as well as two Elliot Gilbert Prizes in Poetry and an Academy of American Poets Award.

Kate is a trained facilitator in the Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) Method and has taught creative writing in a variety of academic and community settings since 2005; she currently teaches workshops in Sacramento and provides manuscript coaching to writing groups and individuals. She volunteers locally as program director for the Sacramento Poetry Center’s annual spring conference and board member at large. Nationally, she has volunteered as a poetry book manuscript reader for Press 53 and reader for New England Review. Previously, she was associate director of Arts, Humanities and Writing at UC Davis Extension, where she coordinated The Tomales Bay Workshops under the direction of Pam Houston. Kate also helped to establish the award-winning I Street Press at Sacramento Public Library. She has volunteered as associate editor for Tule Review (a publication of Sacramento Poetry Center) and Under the Gum Tree, and as a reader for Memoir Journal. She supports Sacramento Public Library and helps to spread the word about 916 INK, a local youth literacy organization inspired by 826 Valencia.

In addition to her writing, teaching, editing and literary community building work, Kate is associate director of marketing for the International Programs at UC Davis School of Law. Kate brings her project management skills from this work into her individual and group coaching and workshops, to help writers at all levels achieve their personal goals.

Follow her and get the scoop on local writing events right here at www.kateasche.com or email her at kate (at) kateasche (dot) com.


Explore Kate’s Work

Watch and hear Kate read poems from her first chapbook, Our Day in the Labyrinth, in the above launch reading video–which also features appearances from Kate’s mentor poets Susan Kelly-DeWitt, William O’Daly and Indigo Moor. (Special thanks to Epiclesis for providing the video equipment!)

Learn more about Our Day in the Labyrinth, Kate’s first chapbook of poems, here. Find out about events readings where you can meet Kate here. Kate also co-hosts periodic sub parties and teaches workshops in Sacramento.

Read a review of Kate’s first poetry collection, the chapbook Our Day in the Labyrinth. Read Kate’s first interview about the chapbook, published by Why There Are Words in Sausalito, CA. Explore this post from Kate’s Miscellany marking Kate’s five-year community workshop anniversary and reflecting Kate’s experiences teaching and being taught. Enjoy this wide-ranging older interview, conducted by Janna Marlies Maron for Stories on Stage Sacramento, in which Kate speaks about her own writing practice, submissions, teaching and reading.

Listen to an audio recording of “The Chapbook Across Genres,” the panel Kate created and moderated at the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) annual conference in 2016, featuring DIAGRAM/New Michigan Press’s Lawrence Lenhart, CutBank’s Josh Fomon and Finishing Line Press’s Elizabeth Maines. (Forgive the funky sound of the first 90 seconds!)

Listen to the archive of Kate’s interview about “The Chapbook: Yesterday’s Revolution, Today’s Renaissance” on Capital Public Radio’s Insight with Beth Ruyak on November 3, 2015. Also in fall 2015, Kate herself interviewed poet, translator and novelist William O’Daly as part of the Coffee and Poets podcast series; listen here.

Poems, etc.

Listen to the finalist audio poem, “Know/Don’t Know,” originally published at The Missouri Review online.

DIAGRAM published “Visual Field Test” in late 2018.

Check out Switchback and read Kate’s poem published there in September 2018.

Read Kate’s poem published in Canary in summer 2018.

To read Kate’s poem “Flame,” published in the Winter 2013 issue of The Summerset Review, click here.

To hear Kate’s poems published in Quiddity International Literary Journal (Volume 6.2 – Fall/Winter 2013) click here for “Eye” and here for “Hook Jaw and Bone.” (Thanks to Chris Alford and Epiclesis for recording!)

To hear Kate’s poem “Small Animals,” published in RHINO Poetry 2012, click here. (Thanks to Chris Alford and Epiclesis for recording!)

To hear two more poems (thanks to Chris Alford and Epiclesis for recording!), click here (for “Yolo Causeway,” published in fall 2012 in Late Peaches), and click here (for “Poem After Walking,” published in the Spring 2012 Schuylkill Valley Journal).

Kate read a portion of an in-progress essay, “Heavenly Bodies,” at Why There Are Words in Sausalito in December 2011. View the video here.

To see work from Issue 110 of Confrontation, in which Kate was published, click here. To read Kate’s poem from that issue, “Hand Song,” click here: Hand Song by Kate Asche.

Learn more about Kate and her writing and process at this profile created by Kelly Trom, a Journalism major at Kate’s alma mater, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.