Dr. Cathy Hannabach is a publishing leader and editor shaping more equitable futures for scholarship. Cathy’s vision for the future of publishing centers on creating pathways for interdisciplinary, community-grounded intellectual exchange that can drive real-world change.

As founder and CEO of Ideas on Fire, she helps interdisciplinary academics transform vibrant ideas into powerful books and public projects that can spark meaningful social change.

Since founding Ideas on Fire in 2009, Cathy has positioned Ideas on Fire as more than just an editing service—it’s become a catalyst for rethinking what scholarly publishing can accomplish.

Through her strategic approach to “editing as worldmaking” and partnerships with leading research institutes, museums, publishers, and community organizations, Cathy helps scholars navigate the evolving landscape of scholarly communications, where traditional publishing models are being challenged and reimagined.

As host of the acclaimed Imagine Otherwise podcast, Cathy amplifies the voices of scholars, artists, and activists who are reimagining how interdisciplinary knowledge can create more just worlds. The podcast has become a go-to resource for scholars and publishers seeking to understand how their work can contribute to broader social transformation.

Cathy's commitment to building stronger publishing communities extends beyond editorial work. She created the LGBTQ+ Editors Association Mentorship Program and the Ideas on Fire Editorial Professional Development Series and has served in board leadership roles for professional associations, including as Treasurer and Governing Board Member of the LGBTQ+ Editors Association. Through this work, she has helped develop mentorship initiatives, strengthen financial and organizational systems, and support the long-term sustainability of editorial communities.

A long-time advocate for community arts, she is the founder of Philly Queer Media and the Pittsburgh Contemporary Queer Cinema Series and has collaborated with artists and curators on projects including the Smithsonian Asian American Pacific Center’s ‘Ae Kai Culture Lab, DP Arts Consortium, and the Phreak ‘n Queer arts and music festival.

Author of Blood Cultures: Medicine, Media, and Militarisms (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015) and Book Marketing for Academics (Ideas on Fire, 2016), her research and commentary has been featured in outlets including the BBC, New Learning Times, Cultural Politics, Women and Performance, Succeeding Outside of Academia, Social Text: Periscope, Studies in Gender and Sexuality, and Dismantle Magazine.

She holds a PhD in cultural studies from the University of California, Davis, and a BA in gender and women’s studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

She lives in New Jersey with her wife and rambunctious puppy, and in her spare time you can find her wandering forest trails, tinkering with recipes, and nerding out over plants and fungi.