Kate Simpson Hayes

author

Kate Simpson Hayes

1856–1945

A pioneering voice in early western Canadian journalism, this writer built a career across poetry, fiction, drama, and newspaper work. Her life on the prairies and in frontier communities gave much of her writing its energy and sense of place.

1 Audiobook

Derby Day in the Yukon, and Other Poems of the "Northland"

Derby Day in the Yukon, and Other Poems of the "Northland"

by Kate Simpson Hayes

About the author

Born in Dalhousie, New Brunswick, on July 6, 1856, Kate Simpson Hayes became a Canadian playwright, author, journalist, and poet. She moved west to Prince Albert in 1879 and later settled in Regina, where she became an important literary presence.

Hayes is often described as one of the earliest women journalists in western Canada. She wrote under several pen names, including Mary Markwell, and contributed to newspapers while also publishing creative work in several genres.

Her career stretched beyond journalism into cultural work and public service, and she was also associated with library work in the West. She died in Victoria, British Columbia, on January 15, 1945, leaving behind a body of writing tied closely to the growth of prairie literary life.