Kim Mannix is a journalist, poet and storyteller. She hates calling herself an “author” because she’s too modest for her own good, but she’s publishing her first book of poetry, Confirm Humanity, and has had short stories and poems featured in a whole bunch of other books, so I’m going to call her an author. She also likes to draw nature scenes, play word puzzles on her phone, bake, do about a million other things, is the guardian of two cats and is the mother of two lively teens (and no, I don’t know how she hasn’t had a mental breakdown either. We’re hard to manage).
To say my mom is involved in local arts would be an understatement. She’s not only the president of the Edmonton Poetry Festival board, but also finds time for other volunteer work, like making handmade cards for hospital patients and giving presentations about poetry to students.
My mom is one of the most talented, unique, funny, kind human beings I know. It’s impossible to sum her up in 200 words, but trust me when I say she’s incredible. Plus, she gives the best hugs. She’s amazing, and I’m so proud of everything she does.
-Written by Fiona, Kim’s youngest daughter
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Which ’hood are you in?
I live in Sherwood Park, on Treaty 6 territory just east of Amiskwaciwâskahikan/Edmonton. My neighbourhood is mostly 1970s bungalows and tall trees.
What do you do?
I write, both for work and for soul satisfaction. My professional background is journalism, and I write, freelance, for various places about a bunch of things. I also write poetry, short fiction (primarily horror), and dabble in creative nonfiction from time to time. I love to spend as much time as I can with my family and cats, ideally watching spooky or funny movies, or being as near as I can be to flowers, trees, mountains and rivers.
What are you currently working on?
I’m in the early stages of writing a series of linked short stories with a dark/true crime kind of theme, and am working on new poems that could become a chapbook…? (I say with both skepticism and optimism).
Where can we find your work?
My debut collection of poetry, Confirm Humanity, is available through my publisher, Wild Skies Press, on Amazon and in local indie bookstores. There are also links to some of the stories and poems I’ve had published in journals and anthologies on my often-neglected WordPress site.
