Bio

I grew up in a large Irish-Catholic family in Chicago, Illinois and graduated with a B.A. from the University of Toronto. I’ve lived in Toronto for most of my adult life, and I’m a citizen of both Canada and the United States.

For more than two decades I’ve made my living as a writer, working in a wide range of genres. I’m the author of eight books and more than a dozen plays. Several of my plays have won awards, which you can find out more about on my Plays page. I’ve been Playwright-in-Residence at Youtheatre in Montreal and the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People in Toronto, and I was a member of the 2006 Playwright’s Colony at the Banff Centre in Alberta. I’ve also been a journalist and radio commentator, and I do a fair bit of teaching and public speaking. Over the years I’ve conducted numerous writing workshops in schools and libraries across Canada, and been a presenter at conferences, including the Association for Media Literacy, the Summit 2000 conference on Youth and the Media in Toronto, and the 1998 World Summit on Television for Children in London, England.

I draw a lot of inspiration from Toronto Island, a unique, vibrant, and mostly car-free community a ten-minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto. You can find out more about it at www.torontoisland.org  I’ve lived on the Island since the early eighties with my partner Alec, and our daughters Martha and Ivy have grown up here. Martha’s now a fabric artist and teacher. Ivy is a singer-songwriter – to check out her MySpace page click here

Music is a big part of my life on the Island. I play and sing with a varied network of musical friends. Check out my Music page to see what I’m up to.

 

Photo of Kathleen by Pierre Maraval, part of his Mille Femmes exhibit at Toronto's Luminato Festival, June 2008