Kathy MacKay spent most of her life in New Hampshire before coming to South Florida in late 2020 with her husband, joining a sister and two brothers who’d already settled here. A former news photographer, today she largely expresses her creativity through her Substack, “Aesthetic Encounters: On Writing and the Arts,” and is also hard at work on a memoir about her first husband’s death – and the greater story behind it. She’s been a Friend since 2023.
Tell me about your book. You’ve been working on it a long time.
Since 2018, when I wrote my first chapter. It’s about my first husband. He was a hemophiliac who died in 1997 after contracting HIV and hep-C from contaminated blood products during the early years of the AIDS pandemic. The tainted blood supply back then ended up killing tens of thousands of people, and I’m telling that greater truth through the narrative of my marriage and what happened to our family.
That’s a lot.
It’s been incredibly complicated to write. After he died I started going around the country photographing victims and surviving family members on and off for about six years, which I turned into a book for a small New Hampshire publisher in 2004. But the story kept nagging at me – I let it go for years, and then in 2018, realizing that I had a profound story of my own to tell, I put down the camera and picked up the pen.
You have two sons who are now in their thirties but who were very young when their father died. What’s been their reaction to the book?
They’re both very supportive; I think they’re proud of what I’m doing. I haven’t shown them any of the writing yet, and I’m sure some of it will be difficult for them to take in. People are flawed, right? So I’m writing with all my flaws and all of their father’s flaws, as part of why we handled certain situations the way that we did.
Do you have an agent yet?
That’s the plan. I’ve communicated with three or four so far, and I’ve been working with a book coach/development editor; she’s been invaluable. I also belong to two writing groups, and I’ve done some workshops, too – I wish I’d known about the ones offered by Book Fair back then!
When did you first learn about the Fair?
I was here in 2019 visiting an uncle, and we took a walk over to Books & Books. I immediately fell in love with the store and its whole vibe. Mitchell Kaplan came over to say hi – my uncle was a familiar face – and when I moved down in 2020 I signed up for the B&B newsletter, and that’s where I found out about the Fair and the Miami Book Fair organization.
What do you think the Fair means to Miami?
The Fair really contributes to the overall arts community here. One of the things I first fell in love with was that so many programs you offer are free to the public, and I really appreciate your outreach to young readers with things like Pale Fò. And as a writer, I want to take advantage of the programs you have for adults, like Premye bouyon – I signed up for the one in May with Fabienne Josaphat and I was so excited! I’d actually met her before; she’s such a passionate teacher and good human.
You became a Friend after your first Fair in 2023 – what are some of the benefits you most appreciate?
Shorter lines, priority seating, and the chance to meet other Friends and Fair staff. And the discounted ticket price for the Pwochen paj: Dine – I sat with Zara Chowdary, who wrote the memoir The Lucky Ones; that was a delight. I also bid on and won a manuscript reading with Rachel Kahan at William Morrow/HarperCollins during the silent auction. She reviewed my first 50 pages and then we had a 30-minute Q&A.
How did that go?
The feedback came at a very crucial time for me, and she was very complimentary about the writing and the story and its potential marketability, if the execution is there. It was such a thrill, and an unexpected experience I only got to have because of attending Next Page. That’s another great thing about the Fair, the connections you make and the relationships that develop. That’s one of the things I think about a lot when I think about the Fair – there are all these little pockets of experiences that create an almost ripple effect.
Ki eksperyans MBF ki vrèman kanpe deyò pou ou?
Seeing Patti Smith in 2024 was amazing. It was fascinating to hear her story, and at one point she was standing up and started singing “Because the Night,” and the entire room joined in. It was just this beautiful, spontaneous moment of unity.
Which MBF 2025 program did you find most engaging?
My husband and I both really enjoyed seeing Tracy K. Smith and Naomi Shihab Nye last year, but one of the sessions that really touched me, especially as a former newspaper person, was Gilbert King speaking about Bone Valley: Yon Istwa Vrè sou Enjistis ak Redanmsyon nan Kè Florid. He presented with the book’s subject, Leo Schofield, and that was a really interesting take, to see the back and forth between writer and real-life character.
What three authors would you pick to be in your fantasy book club?
Jodi Picoult, because she’s just so brilliant at discussing moral end ethical themes, which are never easy topics; Rebecca Makkai, because I love how she dissects a story – I’m on her Substack; and, if my husband’s joining us, Amor Towles, because he says he has a unique perspective on storytelling.
Entèvyou pa Elisa Chemayne Agostinho; repons yo te modifye pou espas ak klèti.