Author Profile Kathy Shaidle

Author Profile Kathy Shaidle

Kathy is one of those ‘not well known enough’ Canadian treasures She is a poet, author, and columnist. She has written extensively for the print media and online, especially here at her blog, “Relapsed Catholic ++ Where the religious rubber meets the pop culture road ++”, which is one of the top conservative or blogging Tories blog. Her blog has been up and running since 2000 and has won numerous awards. She has been a columnist here in Canada for The Catholic New Times and also The Catholic Register and currently writes for Our Sunday Visitor, both her prose and poetry.

gas station of the cross
Lowlife Publishing
1990
ISBN n/a

This is a great Indie book of poetry, with its cut-and-paste feel and custom, small press printing. It is wonderful to hold, feel and read. It is a collection of poems, some about dead people, and others that are spiritual, deep and moving - 25 pages of pure reading pleasure. Lead Down the Garden Path (Riverdale Un-soiled) is the only poem from this collection that is not in the larger collection Lobotomy Magnificat.

Round Up The Usual Suspects:
More poems about famous dead people
Lowlife Publishing
1992
ISBN n/s

At 14 pages this is definitely a small gem in Canadian poetry. Small but full of potency, this book will not disappoint. All of these poems are in Lobotomy Magnificat but without the artwork, graphics and funky layout of the poems.

Lobotomy Magnificat
Oberon Press
1997
ISBN 0778010716

This book was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award for poetry. Lead Down the Garden Path (Riverdale Un-soiled) is the only poem from her first two books of poetry that did not make it into this collection. There are also 9 other poems in this collection. These poems come from over a dozen different sources. Each poem will spark something in you and draw you out of yourself and into the world in a new and greater way.

God Rides a Yamaha
Northstone Publishing
1998
ISBN 1896836240

God Rides a Yamaha is a must read for anyone struggling with illness, or who has journeyed with someone who has. This is a book composed of a series of columns that appeared after Kathy was diagnosed with Lupus. They are sometimes raw, visceral, and yet they never lose hope, and continue to persevere and move on. These columns won Catholic writing awards. This book reads much like C.S. Lewis’s A Grief Observed and any fan of that book will love this one.

A Seeker’s Dozen:
The 12 Steps for Everyone Else
Self-Published
2004
Product Number: 10267680

This is a book that is a collection of articles that originally appeared in the Catholic New Times. This book looks at the 12 steps of AA and the history of the movement. If you have ever known any one who struggles with an addiction, this book will help you understand the organization that has helped provide a way out for people all over the world.

A Catholic Alphabet:
The Faith from A to Z
Self-Published
2005
Product Number: 17385236

This is a collection of articles that originally appeared in The Catholic Register. She wanted to explain the catholic faith in a simple, clear, concise and precise way. She calls herself a GenX cradle Catholic, and this book is wonderful. With at least one entry for each letter, and some with many, this book can be read from beginning to end, or flipped open and read at random. It contains nearly 200 pages of questions, meditations and recollections to inform, educate and amuse. Well worth a read.

Kathy is an award-winning Toronto author, editor and writer for print & web. Check out her books - you will not be disappointed. I would go so far as to state that Kathy deserves the fame of Margaret Atwood, I would say that she is the Catholic Margaret Atwood of GenX.

(Just an aside: Lowlife Press can be reached through maggie@web.net or you can check out here or here if you want to track down the original books of poetry. The artwork and ‘Independent press look and feel’ make them small treasures.)

Books by Kathy Shaidle:
gas station of the cross (1990)
Round Up The Usual Suspects: More poems about famous dead people (1992)
Lobotomy Magnificat (1997)
God Rides a Yamaha (1998)
A Seeker's Dozen: The 12 Steps for Everyone Else (2004)
A Catholic Alphabet: The Faith from A to Z (2005)
Acoustic Ladyland: Kathy Shaidle Unplugged (2007)
The Tyranny of Nice (2009 with Pete Vere)
Confessions of A Failed Slut (2014)

Author Profile Kathy Shidle Interview (2011)
Author Profile (2006)

Other Posts and Links:
Kathy Shaidle's Blog
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Some Old Stuff Some New
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