Martin Cothran (Memoria Press) is a brilliant writer, educator, and advocate for classical education, known for his significant contributions to the homeschooling movement and his leadership in promoting traditional learning methods. Residing in Danville, Kentucky, with his wife of over 32 years, Cothran is a father of four homeschooled adult children and a grandfather of two. As a co-founder of Memoria Press and Highlands Latin School in Louisville, Kentucky, he has played a pivotal role in advancing classical Christian education. He serves as the provost of Memoria College, director of the Classical Latin School Association, and editor of The Classical Teacher, a quarterly magazine for parents and educators published by Memoria Press.
Cothran’s academic background includes a B.A. in philosophy and economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an M.A. in Christian Apologetics from the Simon Greenleaf School (now part of Trinity University). A former instructor of Latin, logic, and rhetoric at Highlands Latin School, he has authored several widely used textbooks for private and homeschool settings, including Traditional Logic: Books I and II, Material Logic: A Course on How to Think, Classical Rhetoric: A Study of Aristotle’s Principles of Persuasion, and Lingua Biblica: Old Testament Stories in Latin. These works, designed to be accessible yet rigorous, introduce students to formal logic, rhetoric, and classical languages, emphasizing critical thinking and the Western intellectual tradition.
As a leading voice in classical education, Cothran is a Featured Speaker the five, regional Great Homeschool Conventions where he addresses topics like literature, logic, and the value of a classical Christian education. His workshops, such as interactive sessions on analyzing great stories, inspire educators and parents to foster a love for learning. His writings appear in outlets like The Imaginative Conservative, Crisis Magazine, and major newspapers, including the Cincinnati Enquirer and Louisville Courier-Journal, where he explores themes of culture, literature, and Western civilization’s roots in Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem.
Beyond education, Cothran is a Senior Policy Analyst and registered lobbyist for The Family Foundation of Kentucky, where he has served for over 12 years, influencing state education policy and appearing frequently on Kentucky Educational Television’s Kentucky Tonight. His commentary on education and public policy is widely quoted in national outlets like Reuters, USA Today, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. A devout Christian, Cothran integrates his faith into his work, advocating for the preservation of Western cultural heritage and the importance of great books, as seen in his essays praising authors like G.K. Chesterton, his favorite, and defending the King James Bible.
Cothran’s passion for books extends to his personal life, where he cherishes their tactile and intellectual value, marking his copies with notes for his children. His vision is to equip students and families with the tools to think critically and live virtuously, making him a cornerstone of the classical homeschooling community.
