About the Author

She is part of the Oregon Poetic Voices (oregonpoeticvoices.org) archive hosted by Lewis & Clark College. Her poetry has appeared in The Echo Chamber, Quivira Literary Magazine, newsletters, and informal papers.

For six years she served as co-editor of poetry for Veterans Voices, a national publication of the Hospitalized Veterans Writing Project, now known as Veterans Voices Writing Project.

She “wrote” her first poem at age five—more or less. 

The libraries and librarians in her rural Kansas hometown will never know the influence they had on her love of books and writing: Emporia’s Carnegie Public Library, a second Carnegie library on the College of Emporia campus, and the enormous William Allen White Children’s Reading Room, part of the WAW Library on the Kansas State Teachers College campus (now Emporia State University—ESU.)

She showed the power of words to students when teaching poetry and creative writing at the high school level (uniting the visual arts and poetry); American Literature and speech at the community college level; and composition at the university level. Now, in addition to poetry, she explores creative nonfiction, particularly the multiple forms of the essay. A new book is forthcoming in 2024.

In her arts administration careers, Rickbone was Executive Director of the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts in Newport, (OR); the Grants Pass Museum of Art (OR); and the Emporia (KS) Arts Council.

In her business careers, Rickbone was Director of PR and Marketing for the Country Club Plaza Merchants’ Association, (Kansas City, MO); started her own consulting firm, “Catherine Rickbone Creates” (CRC) as a creativity consultant, speaker, copywriter and marketing manager. A partial list of her clients include: American Association of University Women, AT&T, Drake Beam Morin, Hallmark Cards, Women in Communications, (MO); Living Opportunities/Studio Sfumato and Southern Oregon Repertory Singers (OR).

In her writing and editing careers, she has worked as assistant editor for the American Association of University Professors (Washington, D.C.); for Emporia State University’s Composition Manual; and contributing editor for Hallmark Cards publications.

She has published hundreds of arts, business and academic articles in local, regional, national and international magazines, newspapers, newsletters, including USA Today, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Business Journal, The American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, The Plaza Bulletin, the ARTiculator, The Ashland Magazine, The Newport News-Times,  

In her teaching careers, she has always sought to combine the visual and performing arts with the literary arts as she taught high school English in the Shawnee Mission School District (KS); American Literature and Speech for Butler County Community College (KS); and Composition as an adjunct instructor at Emporia State University (KS). 

She has used her educational skills in literacy programs such as teaching English to immigrants (KS); to at-risk university students; to at-risk youth in “I Have a Dream” at the Boys and Girls Club (MO). Her teaching and presentation skills were front and center as a corporate trainer for a regional retail store (AZ). 

As a radio personality, she hosted “Arts Talk” on three radio stations. She has presented dozens of radios interviews on arts, business, poetry, and literacy. 

She holds BA in English and French and a BS in Education from Kansas State Teachers College; Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) emphasis in Marketing from University of Missouri, Kansas City; and a MA in English from Emporia State University.  

In her Arts Advocacy roles Rickbone continues serving on the statewide board of the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon; as Chair of the City of Newport (OR) Public Art Committee; on the Lincoln County Cultural Coalition; on Art Revitalization Toledo, and co-chairing of Willamette Writers Coast Branch. She continues her advocacy of The National Museum of Women in the Arts. 

Her artwork and personal collection of world masks appear throughout the website.