It鈥檚 not every day that a city names a day after a children鈥檚 book author. But Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto declared December 8, 2019, Kate Dopirak Day as her fellow writers came together to hold a children鈥檚 book festival in her honor.
Kate鈥檚 Kid Book Bash, held inside the Ace Hotel in Pittsburgh, was a bittersweet celebration of the late author. The event was filled with authors, books, creativity, and plenty of kids 鈥� all the things Kate Pohl Dopirak ’98 held dear. 鈥淭o use her words, Kate would be 鈥榦ver-the-moon-excited鈥� to have an event like this dedicated to her,鈥� said her brother Joe Pohl.
Kate Dopirak, a 1998 花椒直播 graduate, forged a successful career as a children’s book author.
He sat behind a table decorated with twinkling lights, selling the rhyming books his sister had published 鈥� Snuggle Bunny, You鈥檙e My Boo and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Car. A rising star in the children鈥檚 book world, Kate had signed a deal for her fourth book, but the young author died at age 43 of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a rare degenerative disease, in October 2018. Though she will never see it in print, Hurry Up: A Book about Slowing Down is scheduled for release on May 19, 2020.
Famous Pittsburgh writers such as Jonathan Auxier (Sweep, The Night Gardener) and Sharon Flake (The Skin I鈥檓 In) participated to honor the author with the radiant smile and rhyming prose. Twenty-five authors and illustrators participated. Many had known Kate as a friend and encouraging mentor through her leadership role in the Society of Children鈥檚 Book Authors and Illustrators.
鈥淚t was awesome participation from the children鈥檚 lit community,鈥� said Kate鈥檚 husband, Josh Dopirak, also a 1998 Allegheny graduate. The event benefited Reading is Fundamental, one of Kate鈥檚 favorite charities where a fund was established in her name.
鈥淲riting is not an easy life. There is a lot of rejection and disappointment,鈥� said Betsy Fitzpatrick, co-organizer of the event and a writer-friend of Kate. 鈥淜ate mentored other writers and helped them through the process. Everyone loved her for her bubbly personality, but she was one of the best critical thinkers I鈥檝e ever met. She made a difference to everyone she met either by the impact she had on your work or how she made she feel as a person.鈥�
Kate developed some of those critical thinking skills at 花椒直播, where she studied English and education. She found inspiration in a creative writing class she took there, said her husband, Josh. She was both a serious student and very social, making many friends in her sorority of Kappa Kappa Gamma and elsewhere on campus.
鈥淪he had this most infectious smile and great laugh. There was just something about her spirit that would draw people in,鈥� said Beth Cuneo Dopirak, her roommate at Allegheny. 鈥淪he loved the tight-knit community of Allegheny.鈥� After Kate began dating Josh her senior year, she introduced Beth to his brother, Ryan, knowing he would be the perfect match for her. The best friends would become sisters-in-law after college.
After graduation, Kate became an elementary school teacher in Hampton School District. She then started writing poems and short stories in Highlights magazine and slice-of-life columns for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
But the path to getting published as a picture-book writer took years. She ignored the common advice that agents and editors give writers: Don鈥檛 do rhyming verse. One of the hardest things to do well, rhyming stories often come out forced. 鈥淏ut Kate was true to herself,鈥� Fitzpatrick said. 鈥淪he liked rhyme and it was her strong suit. She stuck with it thankfully because now the world has her books.鈥�
She would write every day, and also read to her two boys, Joey and Bobby, daily.
Kate was so dedicated to her craft that she would file her rejection letters from agents and editors in a binder, absorbing the feedback and making changes. 鈥淪he would get frustrated at times but she would just go forward,鈥� Josh said.
When Kate finally broke into the children鈥檚 book market, it happened swiftly. She signed with an agent at Adams Literary, and just three weeks later, she landed a deal with Scholastic for Snuggle Bunny, which was published in 2016. 鈥淪he was surprised and ecstatic,鈥� Josh said.
Then came more rejection. 鈥淪he went through three years when she didn鈥檛 sell anything,鈥� Josh said. 鈥淲hat was important was that the children鈥檚 writing community was supportive and encouraging.鈥�
That support went two ways. As her star rose as she published You鈥檙e My Boo and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Car, she mentored other writers.
Kelly Riehl Conroy 鈥�98 met Kate during her first year at Allegheny and became closer with her after graduation as she sought advice about writing. The two bonded as Kate critiqued her work and celebrated all of her small victories along the way. Conroy, in turn, helped Kate do book launch parties.
鈥淜atie taught me that to be a better writer, you have to tap into the weirdest, most embarrassing parts of you to find your unique stories and voice,鈥� Conroy said. 鈥淪he was always sophisticated, poised, and cool. I assumed my goofiness and immaturity made us a bad friend match, but I was wrong. She not only liked but celebrated the weirdness in me. She turned my insecurities into my strengths and helped me be more 鈥榤e.鈥� She didn’t love people despite their bumps and bruises, she loved people because of them.鈥�
The day after Kate鈥檚 Kid Book Bash, Conroy got an offer from an agent and is now represented.
鈥淪he was my cheerleader and my teacher,鈥� Conroy said. 鈥淪he really took me under my wing. She was always building everyone else up.鈥�
In an era of email and texts, Kate sent handwritten notes to writers, encouraging them on their road to publishing. Fitzpatrick once got a card with a big sun on it, telling her how proud Kate was of all the hard work she was putting into a middle-grade novel that was still very much a work in progress. 鈥淲ho does that?鈥� Fitzpatrick said. 鈥淚t was very Kate.鈥�
Beth Dopirak also got notes from her former college roommate and sister-in-law. Beth and other sorority sisters participated in Strides for CJD, a walk/run fundraiser, in Pittsburgh in 2019. They formed a team called 鈥淜appas for Katie.鈥�
Those who couldn鈥檛 make the walk donated to the team. 鈥淓veryone in their own way tried to honor Kate,鈥� Beth said. 鈥淪he was so beloved.鈥�