By Anthony Miles —

Kathy Potter loved to write. She was always inspired and never complained there was nothing to write about.

Kathy Potter died January 6, 2013 in Bayonne Hospital surrounded by family and close friends. She was 52 years old. She leaves behind her husband Rae Potter and her children Alannah and Garvey.

In honor of her passing, NJCU has created the Kathy M. Potter Memorial Writing Award, which will be given to an NJCU student who submits an outstanding piece of memoir writing or creative non-fiction. The award will be funded by donations and will be awarded every year in October.

Potter graduated from NJCU summa cum laude in 2006 with a Bachelor’s degree in English/Creative Writing and a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. She was also a vital part of the writing community here at the university as managing editor of Transformations and one of the founding members of the ReCollective Writers Group. She was born in Kearny, NJ and lived in Jersey City before moving to Bayonne about 10 years ago. Her writing touched the lives of faculty, students, and members of the ReCollective. Her untimely and unexpected passing has surely left a void in everyone that knew her.

Jessica Witte-Dyer, an NJCU graduate and English/Creative Writing major says that “Kathy’s writing is just perfect. Every piece is carefully crafted and beautifully so. There is a starkness about it that is captivating, yet there is a gentleness about it. Though her subject matter could be considered somewhat dark, her writing always left me with the feeling that though bad things may happen, we all go on living.”

Edi Giunta, an English professor here at NJCU, first met Kathy as a student in her memoir writing workshop. She says that Kathy was “a foundational figure though she did not actively seek the spotlight.” A telling eulogy written by Giunta insists that Kathy fully earned that spotlight.

The eulogy divulges, “She did not have a full measure of the beauty of her work–she didn’t seem to realize it–even as she consistently supported her fellow writers, and generously edited their writing.”

It continues, “I started reading her work, those lyrical, elegiac prose pieces in which she sang of her beloved family and the world of her childhood, youth, and maturity. She sang like the poet she was at heart.”

Giunta also offered that “[Kathy] understood and felt naturally responsible for nurturing the life and culture of a creative community, and it came through in all aspects of her life. It really manifested itself beautifully in her roles as a member of the ReCollective and the NJCU community.”

The outpouring of love for Kathy was most evident in my talks with the ReCollective, a writers group in which Kathy was a member along with Angel Eduardo, Melida Rodas, Laura McKeon, Michi Rodriguez, and Krystal Sital, among others.

Angel, who graduated from NJCU with a Psychology degree and a minor in English and Creative Writing, says that he will miss her enthusiasm and sincerity the most.

“I called her the Norman Rockwell of our group–her work was deceptively plain…but her word choices and her voice brought out the beauty in the simple and the commonplace,” says Eduardo.

Jacyln Foglio, an NJCU graduate, Psychology major and minor in Creative Writing and Women’s and Gender Studies, remembers Kathy as a classmate, writing colleague, and friend.

Jaclyn revealed, “I will miss her voice – both in conversation and in reading. It had a warmth that always made me smile.”

Kathy even attended events and classes at NJCU after she graduated in 2006.

Jessica Witte-Dyer, who first met Potter in Advanced Prose Seminar with Professor Tan Lin in 2007, says that Kathy was “humble, loving, and a kind person. The world needs more people like her. Her loss has been devastating to all that knew her.”

Laura McKeon, who received her BA in English and Elementary Education in 1998, met Kathy at “MemoirFest,” a writing event held annually at Professor Giunta’s home.

McKeon says “I have known Kathy since 2008. While I wish I had the good fortune of meeting Kathy in a class, I did not. However, I did get the chance to meet her through Edvige Giunta, a beloved professor of Memoir at NJCU, at one of her MemoirFests. In fact most of us in The Recollective met each other as a result of Professor Giunta and her wonderful MemoirFests.”

McKeon remembers “If you had written a piece that you wanted looked at, you sent it to Kathy ‘The Editor.’” She went on later to say that “[Kathy] was immersed in words. She loved them. She was a craftsman in them.”

Professor Giunta suggests that giving the award during Kathy’s birth month will be a great way to honor her. She also hopes that Kathy’s writing will be published for all to enjoy.

Giunta says, “I was reading some of her most recent work and as a literary scholar I [am] also mourning the loss of an amazing writer.”

There is also a memorial reading planned for this April where students on campus will be reading some of Kathy’s work. Faculty, students, and members of the ReCollective are sure to attend.

Eduardo expressed, “After she would read her latest work to us, we would be speechless–both at the beautiful writing we had just heard, and the way she seemed oblivious to just how jaw-droppingly fantastic it was.”

Joshua Fausty, Kathy’s thesis advisor and professor of English at NJCU, remembers her as “hard working, dedicated, and always looking for constructive criticism that would help her improve as a writer–and it showed in her intense and brilliant writing.”

He adds, “Kathy represented–and with the memorial award, she will continue to represent–the values and excellence that NJCU and the English department strive to foster in our students.

Kathy will surely be missed–her writing and her presence never to be forgotten.

Donations can be sent to the NJCU Foundation (Kathy Potter Memorial Writing Award) c/o Lori Summers, Director of Development, 2039 Kennedy Blvd. H-315, Jersey City, NJ 07305.