Kathy Soper – an interview
By Justine Dorton
So, I interviewed Kathy Soper the other day. For those not in the know, she is the editor of Segullah. She’s got seven kids (yep, she’s an angel), and she has managed to keep us all on task at Segullah (She’s an organized angel)! Here was our conversation.
Hey Kathy. Why don’t you introduce yourself.
Howdy, all. I’m Kathy, soon to be thirty-five years old. Happy to be LDS, happy to be married to Reed Soper, happy even to be living in Utah. But I do miss the trees–though not the humidity–of Maryland, my childhood homeland. And I admit I like Salt Lake valley better than her much-maligned sister. I had a rocky start with Provo culture when I arrived in ‘89, but I ended up marrying my home teacher, so it all ended well. I have a BA in English, and I’m interested in pursuing an MFA in creative non-fiction someday, when I’m no longer inundated with sippy cups and diapers. I have seven kids; the oldest just turned 13 and the youngest is almost a year old.
How does a woman with seven kids manage to be editor of a literary journal?
I ignore my kids a lot. Seriously. Of course, it’s all relative—I think I ignore them a normal, healthy amount. But in my early years of motherhood I was a total cruise director, so it’s taken me a while to be comfortable with any ignoring.