A Scattering of Imperfections

Californian native, Katrina K Guarascio currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico where she teaches Language Arts in the Rio Rancho School District. Katrina received her Bachelor’s degree in English with a concentrate in Creative Writing at the University of New Mexico in 2002 which lead her to a position tutoring developmental reading and writing students at the local community college, CNM. She found the position a challenge and an inspiration, and decided to return to the University to further her degree in the field of education. She received her Master’s degree in Secondary Education in 2008. Although her lifelong goal was not always to teach, she finds it a rewarding career and feels she is truly able to spread her love of literature and writing to a generation who have difficulty recognizing their importance. She loves exposing her students to different forms of poetry, such as performance or slam poetry, and other more contemporary forms which are often neglected in education. Along with numerous one time publications in various literary magazines, two chapbooks of her poetry have previously been published: “Hazy Expressions” through Powerscore Press and “More Fire than Sun” through Shadow Poetry Publications. Katrina was a co-editor and Poetry editor of the University of New Mexico’s Literary Magazine, Conceptions Southwest, during her time as a graduate student. She also edited the Literary Magazine for Central New Mexico Community College, Leonardo, during her time working for the school. She is largely inspired by the individual and the human experience, and is constantly attempting to capture a persona in poetry. Her biggest literary influences include William Shakespeare, Toni Morrison, T.S. Eliot, Tori Amos, and Sandra Cisneros.