Judy Catterton

Rehoboth Beach

Established
Literature: Creative Nonfiction

By: Gail Obenreder

“Working with others to explore the best way to tell their stories encourages and inspires me to tell my own.”

After Judy Catterton retired from the practice of law and moved to Rehoboth Beach, her husband saw a notice in the paper for a writing class, and she “went along for the ride.” But that class opened the door to a whole new career for the former lawyer. Realizing that “I had a wealth of stories that people were interested in,” she began to take writing classes, learning how best to tell her stories, and successfully submitting them for publication.

Catterton was born in Richmond, Virginia; her father worked for the U.S. Patent office, which was relocated there for security reasons during World War II. But she and her older brother grew up in Washington DC and suburban Maryland. Catterton remained in the region throughout her career, focused on criminal law, first as a prosecutor and then as a defense attorney.

Always encouraged to “tell the stories of my life as a trial lawyer,” Catterton began to write seriously when she and her husband moved to Delaware over two decades ago. Encouraged by her colleagues at the Rehoboth Beach Writer’s Guild, she crafted “collage” essays built around a particular trial that also explored issues like working in a male-dominated field or managing motherhood and career. Writing has taught her that “a good trial lawyer is first and foremost a storyteller. And now I’m telling stories about those stories.”

Her mother read poetry to her when she was a child. Catterton memorized poems in grade school and majored in English in college, learning to appreciate the importance of well-chosen words and metaphors. But she confesses, “To be honest, I wasn’t much of a reader before retiring from the practice of law . . . I had my hands full reading for work.” But now she’s a member of two book clubs and – able to read for pleasure – she especially enjoys the nonfiction writing of authors like Joan Didion, Carole Radziwill, and Cheryl Strayed.

excerpt from The Passover Murder:

“When I look back on it now, I wonder why the thing that haunted me was not the dead body… It was the smell of tzimis—the pungent, sweet smell of prunes, sweet potatoes, and apricots, simmered together for hours under a low flame. It was the smell of Passover. And it was that aroma that washed over me as I walked in, evoking a flood of memories.”

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Another of Catterton’s major sources of inspiration comes from the students in her memoir classes, which she’s been teaching for a decade. She cites their courage and patience as they write about their lives and challenges and likes to quote the character of Anna from the musical The King and I, who sings, “If you become a teacher, by your students you’ll be taught.”

Since she often writes about her life as a lawyer, Catterton is challenged by a need to incorporate legal principals and definitions into her work, seeking a balance between simplistic explanations and the complicated legalese that might slow down her narrative. And she’s gratified when her writing allows someone to understand more about the law and its impact.

Catterton has twice been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her essays and poetry have been widely published in literary journals, magazines, and textbooks. And she and her husband of 58 years have traveled extensively, camping in Europe and North Africa for six months “in our hippie days.” She also loves to paint and has displayed her oil or acrylic works regionally and at the Rehoboth Art League.

The recipient of a prior Fellowship in 2015, Catterton says that grant was “instrumental in giving me confidence in my writing,” inspiring her to experiment and submit works for publication. Currently, she’s completing a memoir (a series of connected essays, some previously published), and she’s hopeful that this current grant will help her prepare that collection for publication. “I am grateful for that past [Fellowship] experience and look forward to this one being equally rewarding.”

 

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