Cathy Tyner has lived most of her life in NC, and she has attended more than 10 years of the Goose. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing (with an emphasis on poetry) from Bowling Green State University. Some of her work is published in literary journals, and she has also done extensive work translating contemporary German poetry into English. She works with a variety of topics and imagery in her poetry. A central theme focuses on shifting reader perspectives about "the other." Cathy strives to engage her voice for social justice through poetic storytelling - to build community by cultivating familiarity and by encouraging understanding of difference - with the hope of planting seeds of empathy that will encourage people to embrace kindness and work for the common good.