Member Review
I joined the Writers' Union because it is a 'Union.' That is, it is an organization that responds to its membership and provides a forum for us to express and debate common concerns. It has been important to me, for example, to collectively consider issues such as the appropriation of voice, the representation of writers of colour, and the protection of the creative community.
Member Profile
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Kate J. Thompson
Kate J. Thompson makes her home in M'Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario. For thirty years she has taught English, communications and lifeskills for Cambrian College and Georgian College, and has facilitated numerous workshops on creative writing, journaling and personal healing.
Her first published book, It's So Hard to Love You (New Harbinger Publications, 2007, co-authored with brother Bill Klatte) is a bestselling self-help book that was translated into two languages. Fill It In! (Ningwakwe Learning Press, 2009, co-authored with Christianna Jones) is a Native adult literacy workbook. She has also written and edited other Native adult learning materials for: the M'Chigeeng Adult Education Program where she taught for eight years; the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition; Ningwakwe Learning Press; and Kenjgewin Teg Educational Institute in M'Chigeeng First Nation, Ontario.
An exploration into self-publishing resulted in a chapbook of her short stories, essays and wee ditties as well as a book about gardening that she "built" for a local farmer who has lived sustainably for over seventy years. Her short stories, articles, essays and poetry have appeared in anthologies, magazines and newspapers in Canada and the United States.
Kate has recently finished her first novel and is learning more about the art of being rejected nobly. While she waits for someone to fall in love with her manuscript, she works on her second novel and fourth non-fiction book and occasionally peeks at the children's book way at the back of the drawer.
