Katherine DeCoste (they/them) is a lesbian, neurodivergent writer on the unceded, unsurrendered land of the WSÁNEĆ and Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Xʷsepsəm/Esquimalt) peoples (Victoria, BC). They are an uninvited white settler of Irish, Scottish and Acadian ancestry. Katherine was born and raised in oskana kâ-asastêki in Treaty 4 territory (Regina, SK), the traditional lands of the nêhiyawak, Anihšināpēk, Dakota, Lakota, Nakoda, and the homeland of the Métis Nation. They also spent four years living, working and learning in amiskwacîwâskahikan in Treaty 6 Territory (Edmonton, AB), the traditional lands of the nêhiyawak, Dene, Anishinaabe, Nakota Isga, and Niitsitapi.
Katherine holds an MA in English (2022) from the University of Victoria, as well as a BA Honours in English and History (2020) from the University of Alberta, where they received the Rutherford Memorial Medal in English and Dr. John Macdonald Medal in Arts.
Poems have appeared or are forthcoming in SICK Magazine, Grain Magazine, The New Quarterly, Contemporary Verse 2, and elsewhere. Katherine’s play-in-verse, “many hollow mercies,” won the Alberta Playwriting Competition Novitiate Prize in 2020. In 2019, their first play, “red wood,” was produced at the University of Alberta, and in 2019/2020 they were a member of the Citadel Theatre Young Playwriting Company. Their play “Under Water,” which was workshopped and presented as part of NextFest 2020 and Fringelivestream in 2020.
They were an Editorial Intern for Sundress Publications, where they proofread and copyedited manuscripts for publication, interviewed writers, and wrote blogs and book reviews. Currently, Katherine reads for the poetry editorial board of PRISM International.
When not writing or working, Katherine spends their time embroidering, rock climbing, doing yoga, playing Stardew Valley with their partner, and hanging out in the sun with their cat, Fig.
Katherine DeCoste 