Kathy Shaidle

Who is Kathy Shaidle?

Kathy Shaidle is a Canadian author, columnist, poet and blogger. A self-described "anarcho-peacenik" in the early years of her writing career, she moved to a conservative, Roman Catholic position following the attacks of September 11, 2001, and entered the public eye as the author of the popular RelapsedCatholic blog. Citing some points of friction with her faith, Shaidle relaunched her blogging career under her current FiveFeetofFury blog. Her views on Islam, political correctness, freedom of speech, and other issues have ignited controversy.

Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Shaidle studied at Sheridan College. Since the mid-1980s she has worked in Toronto, eventually talking up a post at the Catholic New Times magazine. In 1991, she left the publication to write full-time on government grants, only to discover a few weeks later that she had developed lupus erythematosus. Her four-year illness provided the subject matter for her 1998 essay collection God Rides a Yamaha.

In the early 1990s, Shaidle published two poetry chapbooks with the Toronto indie press Lowlife Publishing, which also published Lynn Crosbie and Maggie Helwig. Her book-length poetry collection, Lobotomy Magnificat, was nominated for a 1998 Governor General's Award. Critic Wendy McGrath, writing in the Edmonton Journal, praised the poetry for how it "effectively relates sacred images or text to present day events and images." In contrast, the Montreal Gazette's reviewer was critical of the book's "diet of smart phrasing... and fabricated insights."