A Life Driven by Curiosity
By Sonya Mancauskas
When you first meet Curtis Koren, you would not assume she has lived the life she has. We sat drinking chai tea in her kitchen, her wearing a Fat Toad Farm t-shirt and blue butterfly earrings, as she told me about her life.
Koren radiates warmth as she talks. Her energy is infectious and her words captivating. Koren does not, however, love talking about herself; for her, conversation is a way to learn and understand others.
“I already know my stories, but if I'm talking to someone else, I get to know new stories,” says Koren.
Born into a military family, Koren spent her youth moving from place to place; this experience allowed her to meet people from all walks of life and forced her to adapt to their different cultures. She settled in New York City after graduating from Skidmore College as an English major. It was there she began her career in journalism.
She quickly discovered she liked writing from the perspective of others rather than her own opinions. For Koren, an interview with a regular person is more interesting than one with a celebrity, as their stories have yet to be told.
Her career in journalism led her to a job at Ms. Magazine.
“It was a big deal when it started in 72, back in New York, it was the first feminist magazine … the New York Times didn't allow you to use the prefix Ms. … you were defined as either Mrs. or Misses,” Koren said.
Koren's love for Ms. Magazine was apparent during the interview, as she excitedly got up to show me a picture of her, her daughter, Sasha, and Gloria Steinem at a party in New York.
She vividly remembers her first day on the job.
“And the first day, when I went, all the editors were in one big room on their own desks, and there was no desk for me. So they said, ‘Well, why don't you just sit here on the floor next to Gloria's desk.’ And so I sat down. I was like, I can't believe this. What am I doing? I'm sitting next to Gloria Steinem's desk. I'm in New York City, ” Koren said.
She loved working and writing in New York City, but she found, “Most of the people I knew were in publishing.” For someone so curious about others, this lack of diversity was isolating. Koren discovered that she met more interesting types of people living in Vermont than she had before in a much bigger city, an anecdote she wrote about for Family Living Magazine.
During her time in Vermont, she kept up with her journalism career as a member of the VTDigger Board of Directors. Koren feels Digger revolutionized media coverage of politics in Vermont through its coverage of the state house.
“All the committees could tell you exactly what they wanted you to know in a press release, and that's, that's all you knew.” says Koren reflecting on how Digger changed Vermont Journalism.
She credits all the success of VTDigger to Anne Galloway, the founder. When Koren began at Digger, it consisted of three employers, and by the time she left, Galloway had twenty-eight employees, as well as a national reputation.
It was in Vermont that she also began her career in teaching.
“Kids have good stories,” Koren says, explaining that children were her preferred interview demographic, “A lot of kids are told to be quiet and stop talking all the time. But they're really, they, come up with great stories. ”
Koren taught middle school English at Sharon Academy. She loved helping the kids get into reading and writing.
“I love these kids because they're just on the cusp of changing. They're curious.”
During her teaching career, Koren also began a program that brought upperclassmen in high school to the Himalayas for four months at a time. This undertaking reflects her favorite quote. On her fridge sits a magnet that reads: “travel is fatal to prejudice,” a quote from Mark Twain. Koren is not content to only live life knowing herself, she wants to explore the rest of the world and learn about other cultures and peoples.
Today, Koren is preparing for a trip to Uganda. She showed me that she has purchased many books on the animal species there, with her goal being to “meet a gorilla.”
Throughout her life and career, she has stayed true to her internal motivation of curiosity. This drive has led her to incredible accomplishments and a full life, all while remaining a warm, kind person.