15 October 2002

Kathleen M. Massie-Ferch: A Tribute
by Sandra Ulbrich

Sandra Ulbrich is a writer and assistant scientist at a company in the Chicago area.
www.sandraulbrich.com/

Kathleen M. Massie-Ferch died July 15, 2002, in Madison, Wis., of breast cancer. The author of numerous short stories, Kathleen was also one of the editors of two DAW anthologies, Ancient Enchantresses (1995) and Warrior Enchantresses (1996).

There are times when you read the subject of an e-mail message and already know what it will say — and that it will be bad news. Last night (July 20, 2002), I received a digest of e-mails from my Broad Universe discussion group. Each digest lists the messages and their subject lines at the top, and the name of Kathleen Massie-Ferch, my writing mentor, caught my eye. I scrolled down to confirm what I immediately knew: She had lost her battle with breast cancer. She was only 47.

I first met Kathy in the fall of 1997, through a writing class conducted through the student union at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I'd been inspired the year before to start writing again and had actually managed to finish the first draft of a fantasy novel called Day of All Seasons, which I proudly hauled with me to class. Every Tuesday evening for four weeks, I drove up from Beloit, Wis., where I worked; grabbed a quick dinner at home in Janesville; and drove another 40 miles up to Madison for class. After a three-hour session, I had to drive another 40 miles back again and then get ready for work the next day. It made for a long day, and before committing to something like that you'd want to be sure it would be worth it. I knew it would be, though, because the instructor's name sounded familiar. Some quick research revealed she was a published author and that I'd already read two anthologies she'd edited. Feeling reassured, off I went.

Kathy turned out to be a 40-something woman with long brown hair. I mentioned during the first class that I'd read her work, and she seemed pleased. We reviewed a lot of information in our four class sessions, everything from the difference between fantasy and science fiction to market guides for stories and other resources. Many of the things she taught us were points I'd already read about in writing books, but it seemed to make a difference being able to discuss them with a professional writer. The last class was a workshop where I and my other classmates shared chapters or stories for comment. Everyone had a chance to comment on all the drafts, but I remember Kathy suggesting to me that I slow down the opening a bit to introduce the characters and setting before plunging the reader into events. I not only took her advice, but I went on to completely rewrite that story. And in the process of rewriting that draft, my writing reached a new level. I'm sure Kathy's class helped me improve my writing.

Luckily, that wasn't the last time I saw Kathy, though. She recommended in class that we attend science fiction conventions, so the next year I took her advice and went to WisCon, a feminist science fiction convention held every Memorial Day weekend in Madison. While I was there, I met Kathy again. She not only remembered me but was pleased to hear I'd kept up with the writing.

We met several times at other WisCons and other conventions — a couple of WindyCons in Schaumberg, Illinois; ChiCon 2000, the World Science Fiction convention held in Chicago; and OddCons in Madison. She was a panelist at all of these conventions and signed books at some of them. Whenever I saw her name in the programming, I'd try to attend at least one of her panels so I could talk to her afterwards. We also sat together when we attended other panels and had lunch/dinner together a few times.

She introduced me to other people she knew, and I became friends with another writer when I learned he was also a former student of hers. At last year's WindyCon, she and her husband Tom treated me to lunch and said I could treat them when I sold my first book. I wish I'd been able to return the favor. Kathy and I also e-mailed each other sporadically. I asked her advice about submitting my work to publishers and how to follow up when they didn't respond in a reasonable time. She cheered when I received good news from agents and when "Move Over Ms. L." earned an Honorable Mention in an international contest. She also offered comfort when I received rejections. Earlier this year, I suggested we meet for lunch, but sadly the cancer and chemo had already sapped a lot of her energy. She seemed especially tired when I saw her at OddCon in April, but she seemed to be doing a little better at this year's WisCon.

Kathy was involved in more than just writing and teaching writing. She had degrees in astromony, physics, and geology and geophysics. Her primary profession was as a research geologist. She was also interested in ancient Egypt, and several of her short stories use that setting. (Her interest in geology also showed up in her work.) She was also the former first lady of Verona, Wis., and supported her husband's work with local government.

Kathy's legacy in science fiction and fantasy is larger than it might appear to be if you simply consider her work, though she sold several short stories in addition to her two anthologies. She taught her writing seminar for several years. I don't know how many students she had, but there must be a few dozen, at least. Perhaps her most far-reaching and enduring legacy will be participating in the 2000 Wiscon panel that lead to the birth of Broad Universe.

Although I say on my web site that I'm proud to consider Kathy a mentor, I don't think I ever told her directly. I hope she knew, though. I plan to dedicate my first published book to her. Kathy, if you can somehow see this from wherever you are now, I'd like to thank you for your advice and friendship. I hope you'll be accepted into the membership of HeavenCon with wide open arms.

Copyright 2002, Sandra M. Ulbrich