Meet Kate

Hi! I’m Kate DePalma. I’m a writer and an editor and a teacher.

I was born and raised outside Nashville, TN, USA. I studied Latin and Greek in college at Loyola University New Orleans, and I liked it so much that I went to University of Texas on a Mellon Fellowship for a master’s degree.

The University of Texas Press gave me my start in publishing as a Fellow in Copyediting, and then I made the move into children’s publishing at Peachtree Publishers in Atlanta, GA. These days I make books as Senior Editor at Barefoot Books, where I’ve gotten to help create dozens of different picture books since I started in 2010. I edit books and art direct them — and sometimes I even get to write them!

Teaching has been a lifelong love of mine, and I have taught courses and workshops in writing and publishing at Emerson College, the Margaret Mitchell House, Tennessee Young Writers Workshop, and beyond. I've also published poetry and academic work. 

I live with my husband Nick, who is a robot scientist, and my small daughter. I love sunny weather, hip-hop, dancing, pop culture, and putting too many cherries on my sundae. 

Thanks for stopping by to learn my story! I'd love to hear yours. So drop me a line!