about
tamara skidmore

my history

I was born and raised in Michigan and moved to San Francisco at twenty-one to study dance. I met my husband, writer and photographer George Kuttner, in a Creative Writing Class at City College taught by Daniel Curzon, who scrawled across the first story I wrote, “I COULDN’T READ THIS.” I laugh about this now, but it was crushing, as George was the obvious talent in the class and I had a tremendous crush on him. As the story goes, George and I struck up conversations on the Muni Metro platform after class, and he noted that I got off at Civic Center, one of the roughest neighborhoods in the city, while he got off at Powell just to avoid walking there. One night, he convinced me to go to Powell, and I brazenly asked him if he wanted to stop somewhere for a drink, and the rest is history. 

We worked part-time in San Francisco and took our undergraduate degrees at San Francisco State University, then applied to grad schools figuring we’d have to maintain the relationship long-distance, but then both got accepted at Western Michigan University. Western’s English Department was at that time in its heyday; Shirley Scott was Department Director; Herb Scott, Nancy Eimers, and Bill Olsen taught poetry; and Jaimy Gordon and Stuart Dybek taught fiction. We took a tiny brick house on Hilbert Street, the largest place we had ever occupied together, and got to work.

A man, Tamara Skidmore's husband George Kuttner, wearing a straw hat and floral shirt sitting outdoors at a table with a woman with curly blonde hair, in an urban area with trees, storefronts, parked cars, and street signs in the background.

tamara’s husband, george kuttner

A man, Tamara Skidmore's son Eliot, with long curly hair and a beard, dressed in a tuxedo, is holding a black bow tie. Multiple hands with jewelry are adjusting the tie around his neck.
A young girl with curly brown hair, wearing a gray sweatshirt and beige shorts, sitting on an orange leather couch with her head tilted slightly to the side and smiling. An acoustic guitar with a sunburst finish rests against the back of the couch, next to her. In the background, a wooden bookshelf filled with books, papers, and various objects.
A black-and-white photo of Tamara Skidmore, writer, with dark hair, wearing a dark top and a bead necklace. She is resting her chin on her hand with her fingers covering her mouth, appearing to be in a thoughtful or pensive moment.

clockwise: eliot, tamara, willa

life today

I’ve lived a series of lives, the first one growing up as disturbed kid who turned to wild exploits as a teen in the moody rural landscape of Michigan; another obsessed with dance, which overlapped a long tour of education in lit; and then oddly a return to Michigan with George to study creative writing; and finally, our life of marriage, children, and dear friends. I taught as an adjunct at Western, then took a job at the Kalamazoo public library where I worked in circulation, mends, local history, and finally managed the Friends of KPL Bookstore.

My life today is defined by close companions and kids whose courage, compassion, and transparency have given me everything of value: inspiration, joy, and a shared sense of humanity. George and I have Eliot and Willa, and share all their friends, a group that has kept us on our toes and in the game. We live in a hundred-year-old bungalow with Vincent Van Dog, our shy and loyal dog. An insufferable curmudgeon, I am learning patience, compromise, and, occasionally, to keep my mouth shut. Beyond those miracles, everything else to me is mystery. I have written one novella (unpublished) and am working on another. I spend some time drawing and the rest cleaning closets. Summer and Other Stories is my first published collection. 

Close-up of a man with wet, curly hair and someone smiling in the background.
Young woman with curly red hair and blue eyes standing outdoors in a lush green area, with her arms raised and hair flying, wearing a black t-shirt and layered necklaces.
Person dressed in red with devil horns and a nose ring standing in front of a brick fireplace
A shirtless man with long dark hair smiling on a sidewalk in front of shops and cars on a sunny day.
A young woman smiling outside near a brick house, holding a glass of water in one hand and a jacket in the other.
A person with short curly hair, glasses, and colorful clothing standing in front of a white wall covered with various drawings, doodles, and writings, holding up both hands with open palms facing the camera.
A young man with light hair and a black beanie sits on a colorful patterned couch in a cozy living room holding a glass, with a window behind him showing a night scene.
Young man with long hair, beard, and mustache wearing a black beanie looking at his phone, in a room with artwork and a shelf with cameras in the background.
A woman with short, messy, light brown hair, wearing a black jacket and a white shirt with a ruffled collar, holding a champagne glass with a metallic lid on top.
A person with long hair, wearing a dark beanie and a nose ring, is hugging someone in an indoor setting with large window panes in the background.
A person wearing a blue luchador mask and a red cape stands next to a smiling woman in an orange dress inside a room with wooden walls and glass-paneled doors.
A young woman with long hair, looking directly at the camera, holds a lit lighter close to the camera with a flame. The background appears to be a dimly lit room with wooden furniture and soft lighting.
A woman with curly red hair is sitting on a couch covered with blankets, one of which has a face of a woman with bright blue eyes. She is wearing fishnet stockings, a camisole, and a black top with lace sleeves. A person with short blonde and black hair, wearing a black shirt, is sitting next to her, adjusting her stockings. The room has a brick fireplace, a window with cobwebs, and various objects including a gaming console and some books.
A man with dark hair, facial hair, and an orange shirt with a tropical pattern holding a piece of raw fish. The fish is cut in half, revealing its dark flesh, and has blood on the paper towel in his other hand. The background shows a kitchen setting.
A group of people at an outdoor gathering at night, smiling and holding drinks. One man in the foreground is wearing a beige shirt and a red cap. A woman to his right is wearing a yellow shirt with a smiley face design and colorful shorts, with tattoos on her arm. The background shows trees and blurred lighting.
A woman with curly red hair sitting on a couch in a dimly lit room, looking to her right with a neutral expression.

from left to right, top to bottom: annika, carsten, drew, avery, josh; asa, berry, august, cade, eamon & wes, che; kelsey, fen, sam, margaret, noha