Meet Ekaterina
The Essentials
Ekaterina Hoarau is a writer, author of the bestseller and long-seller Hard One to Write!, the bestseller Europe Within Me, and the book Sarochae Radyjo (Belarusian debut prize "Debut"). She is the founder of the Wordcatcher writing school: more than 2,000 students have taken her courses, and over 30 books by various authors have been published under her guidance — including bestsellers. She worked at European Radio for Belarus and other media, but left journalism to write about people rather than events, and to create work whose life would be measured in years, not days.
She leads literary retreats, masterclasses, and courses, offers online consultations, speaks at conferences, and believes in your potential.
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Ekaterina is often called a literary therapist. Her students appreciate the thoughtfulness of her feedback and the clear, comfortable boundaries within which creativity, unexpectedly, flourishes. Her bestseller Hard One to Write! was immediately renamed by readers Hard One to Live!
There is no room for shame in Ekaterina’s courses — shame, so often a companion to the creative process. Or rather, it evaporates, making way for what truly matters: the joy of making things and growing in craft. Whatever the course — communication, writing, creative life planning — it radiates the values of growth, gentle development, thoughtful engagement, and the courage to live fully and show up.
Ekaterina was born in Odessa, spent her childhood in Crimea (in Yalta), and her teenage years in Belarus. She has moved from country to country four times and knows firsthand the challenges of emigration. Her book Europe Within Me is devoted to that experience.
She graduated from the Faculty of Journalism at Belarusian State University, the Philosophy/Literature and Journalism departments of the Belarusian Collegium, and the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow (prose department, seminar of A.E. Rekemchuk, valedictorian). She continues to develop her skills through courses in English, French, and Russian.
Today Ekaterina is a writing instructor with over fifteen years of experience, bringing together two teaching traditions: Slavic and Western. Ekaterina is a member of International PEN, the International Federation of Journalists, and the Union of Writers of Belarus.
«Hard One to Write!»
A Fearless Book About Writing
Each chapter dismantles one myth about writing — twenty-nine in total. Among them: the myth of the writer’s retreat, the perfect study, inspiration, and the idea that writing is a solitary pursuit.
The book is full of practical advice and exercises that help you approach the page without fear and without anxiety about the result. It also includes excerpts from the drafts of classic authors.
The first print run was increased twice before the book even left the printer. Hard One to Write! has become a go-to for writers, editors, and people well beyond the creative professions.
«Europe Within Me»
How Not to Lose Yourself in New Countries, Circumstances, and Roles
Europe Within Me is partly about the experience of emigration — but always about the home we build for ourselves, inside and out. About adaptability in a fast-changing world. About the importance of knowing yourself, standing firm in who you are, and yet being ready to change at any moment.
These are short sketches, full of life, that pull you out of the ordinary current of things and into the miracle of human connection.
«Word of Mouth»
Ekaterina received the Debut Prize for this book.
Sarochae Radyjo (in Russian, Sarafannoe Radio — roughly, “word of mouth”) is a documentary novella about a young woman who wants to be an honest journalist in a very difficult country. Written in Belarusian during Ekaterina’s time at European Radio for Belarus.
The print run has sold out and the book is no longer available.
With more than 300 live streams, presentations, and webinars to her name, Ekaterina is an experienced speaker who has presented at the ProWomen.by Conference, copywriting conferences, and other professional events. Drawing on her background in radio, years of teaching, a lifelong passion for rhetoric and public speaking, and constant practice, she delivers talks that are both engaging and practical.
