Bio...
Kate Harrison Whiteside
Kate grew up on a small farm on the Canadian prairies, one of five children. She studied to be a journalist, worked for over 20 years as a communications consultant, and never dreamed it would lead her to England.
Kate retraced her grandparents’ steps back to England. They had emigrated to Canada in the early 1900s.
Kate graduated from Calgary's Mount Royal College journalism program in the early 80s, and spent the 90s as a consultant - specialising in plain language services and web content development.
She met her English husband whilst he was on holidays in the Rocky Mountains with a mutual friend.
After moving to England in 98, Kate continued creating content for websites, which lead to her post as web editor for the award winning weekly
The Westmorland Gazette , where she wrote a tech column Web Watch.
Kate has studied both writing fiction and film making. Her fiction has been published in My Weekly magazine. She also works with other writers creating lit vids (literature videos). In August, her commissioned collaboration with Cumbrian poet Maggie Norton, documenting the season in Yorkshire hay meadows was shown during the Sedbergh Festival of Books and Drama 2008.
Prior to moving to England, Kate had a professional association with Vancouver plain language consultant Cheryl Stephens. In 2006, they put together two plain language books that were published electronically through LuLu. The second book, Website Usability – A Plain Language Toolbox, part of the Plain Language Wizardry series, is being prepared for print distribution as Plain Language Websites - A Toolbox and will be on sale through Amazon soon.
Kate now works through Key Advice offering new media services to clients, helping them take advantage of new technology.
Kate lives with her English husband and step-son in the Lake District. She works in her Feng Shui designed writing room, overlooking the Duddon River and valley, a view very similar to the one she had on her family farm in Canada.
