Biography

Kathleen (Kath) was raised in Colwood, a suburb of Victoria and has lived in Red Deer, Alberta, Williams Lake, B.C., and now makes her home in Nanaimo, B.C. She is a first-time university student, at Vancouver Island University in her third-year of a Creative Writing degree under writer Susan Juby, poet Sonnet L’Abbe, and editor Joy Gugeler. She has had three pieces of her work published and has completed a Young Adult novel which is out for consideration for publication. Kath was the main caregiver for her mom for eleven years, who lived with Alzheimer’s. Her mother sadly passed in 2022, but Kath still volunteers at Eden Gardens, an Alzheimer’s specific care facility, in Nanaimo. Kath’s responsibilities encompass the Sensory program which is specifically designed for elders that have progressed past participating in regular activities. The Sensory program targets the senses, with projection lights, soft music, and the touch of a gentle massage which promotes circulation and well being. Alzheimer’s drives most her work, as she is passionate about supporting and lending a hand to the families of those living with Alzheimer’s.  Kath lives with her husband and their dog, Freddie who she walks daily while percolating on ideas for her current work. They have two sons, and four grandchildren who live away. When she’s not devising ways to spend time with her offspring, Kath heads to the West Coast to surf, or out on the water for a row.