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An image from the poem "You Are Old Father William"

Becoming A Poet

May 17, 2023

Today I’m on my way to Saskatchewan to participate in a Sage Hill Poetry Colloquium. Anticipating my departure, I recalled several poetry landmark moments in my life, leading up to this one. As a child I loved Lewis Carroll’s “You Are Old Father William” so much I memorized it with no one telling me to…

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Off to the dump he went for scraps of wood and cardboard, and to the wharf where fishermen painted their boats, to collect what was left over. At the beach he strode into the waves to fetch a can bobbing close to shore. At home Maud peeled back the dry layer of paint to get at the fresh paint underneath.

Getting to Know Maud Lewis

April 12, 2023

In contrast to the often bleak landscape and harsh climate of rural Nova Scotia that formed the backdrop of her life, Maud’s paintings brim with vivid, joyous colour. Was she escaping the miseries of her life through her painting? Or was she simply adept at seeing the beauty in the world and expressing it through…

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Right away Maud began adding touches of colour to the dull little house, humming happily to herself. Sadly, when her paint supplies ran out, there was no money for more. Everett knew what to do.

Early Buzz for A Tulip in Winter

March 15, 2023

Sometimes a book, no matter how well written and illustrated, edited and designed, fails to find its intended readers. The reason is sometimes a mystery, but how much effort a publisher puts into promoting a book definitely has an impact. Lucky is a book whose publisher’s publicity department is hard at work even before its…

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fence in snow

Winter Photography

February 22, 2023

My Instagram profile identifies me as “A writer of kids’ books with a passion for photography.” This blog post offers you a sampling of pics taken so far this winter (all with my iPhone 11 Plus) that I haven’t posted there. One of my favourite subjects in every season is my dog Georgia, who inspired The…

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book cover

The Poetry Project

January 25, 2023

I’ve been writing poems lately. Some days I’m surprised and pleased by what I write and think I might someday have something worth submitting somewhere. Other days a voice in my head says: You can’t write poetry. Whatever made you think you could? Why are you torturing yourself trying to write something no one will…

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Why “Genitals”?

December 28, 2022

I love to hear from readers of my books, whether they’re expressing delight in what they’ve read, or questioning some aspect of what they’ve read. In 2019, a reader who liked The Bare Naked Book (the 1986 version) expressed disappointment with the inaccuracy of the “penis” and “vagina” spread. — “Our identity does not always…

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Cover of A Tulip in Winter: A Story About Folk Artist Maud Lewis

Holiday Book Shopping Made Easy

November 30, 2022

Many readers are enjoying the pleasures of browsing their local bookstores for holiday gifts these days, others the pleasures of shopping online. New buttons on the book pages of my website will make it easier for you to quickly find what you’re looking for, whichever your shopping style preference. You are looking for books by Kathy Stinson for all…

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Canadian Books

“I Read Canadian” 2022

November 2, 2022

For this year’s “I Read Canadian” Day (that’s today), I decided to list books by Canadian authors I’ve read in the past year. And — to adopt a phrase used by the cheesiest of stories online — you won’t believe what I discovered! More than half of the 100 books I read were Canadian! Here are some favourites: Canadian Fiction Butter…

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Kathy Stinson making a toast to Anne Dagg

Close But No Cigar

October 7, 2022

Ever wonder where the expression “Close but no cigar” originated? I had two occasions last month to wonder. This is what I learned. Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, players who succeeded at fairground games of strength, accuracy, and skill were commonly awarded a cigar as a prize. The games were notoriously…

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Where Was I This Summer?

September 7, 2022

Name the location of one of the photos: town, city, or body of water, and I’ll email you a sneak peek at the cover of my next book—weeks ahead of when I reveal it in a blog post!

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