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Katie Bickell

Katie Bickell

Author, Instructor, Manuscript Consultant

Home | News & Events | Celebrating ABSK’s ReLit Awards Shortlist

Celebrating ABSK’s ReLit Awards Shortlist

News & Events

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Earlier this month, we (Katie & the ABC team!) got the exciting news that Always Brave, Sometimes Kind had been shortlisted for the ReLit Awards — an incredible celebration of up-and-coming writers and independent presses in Canada.

For the 2021 shortlist in the novel category, ABSK was nominated amongst a powerhouse list of Canadian literature:

  • Always Brave, Sometimes Kind, Katie Bickell (Brindle & Glass)
  • Fake It So Real, Susan Sanford Blades (Nightwood Editions)
  • All I Ask, Eva Crocker (Anansi)
  • Seeing Martin, Su Croll (Pedlar Press)
  • Honey Butter Pig Bread, Francesca Ekwuyasi (Arsenal Pulp)
  • Throw Down You Shadows, Deborah Hemming (Vagrant Press)
  • Dirty Birds, Morgan Murray (Breakwater)
  • The Baudelaire Fractal, Lisa Robertson (Coach House)
  • Fair, Ed Seaward (Porcupine’s Quill)
  • Noopiming: The Cure For White Ladies, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (Anansi)
  • After Elias, Eddy Boudel Tan (Dundurn)
  • Fauna, Christiane Vadnais (Coach House)

Congratulations to this year’s winner, Fake It So Real, Susan Sanford Blades (Nightwood Editions)!

May 2, 2021 ·

Be Brave, Be Kind.

ABC Founder, Katie Bickell

Thank you for visiting Always Brave Creative! I’m Katie Bickell, the Founder of Always Brave Creative and award-winning author of the novel, Always Brave, Sometimes Kind.

It takes guts to put yourself out into the world, but to the brave go the spoils. That’s why we’re passionate about helping our clients tell brave stories – whether that means promoting them through professional resume preparation, captivating brand development, manuscript consultation, or a website so beautiful there’s no fear of losing customers to online’s many competing distractions. We want you to be heard.

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    In March I shook off my pandemic funk. A trip to C In March I shook off my pandemic funk. A trip to Cuba brought me back to life and I made an intention to harness the energy. This morning I met my goal, five months in the making.

I wanted to feel strong again. I have a very vivid memory of the best I’ve ever felt: in this memory, I am 26. At this time I was still nursing my youngest daughter, and training for a half marathon. It was an unremarkable day, but, in this memory, I am running and the sun is at my back. I can see my shadow in front of me, and I can feel the way my ponytail swings behind me. I’m on Cloverbar road, just in front of the firehall. What I can’t feel are my legs: I’ve just crossed 7K and my mind has turned off from that part of my body. They’re doing their work but from my perspective, I just feel like I’m flying.

In March, I realized how badly I wanted to go back there to that moment of freedom - or at least try to. Although I’ve been a daily long distance walker for years, I didn’t know if I could still run and hadn’t tried but for a kilometre or so about once a year (usually around my New Years resolutions lol). Worst, this time last year I partially tore my Achilles’ tendon, an injury that had me on crutches and sunk any confidence I had in my physical strength.

But this time I took myself seriously. I started a “Dream Big, Start Small” program on the @runkeeper app, and then signed onto the #trainwithrunkeeper #myfirst10k program once it had completed. Today I finished the program and ran for a full hour - something I haven’t achieved in the last decade! 

It’s been a hard won win: tendon pain, plantar fasciitis, then knee pain, and now piriformis pain I’m treating with massage and yoga. A spring and summer of ice packs, Tylenol, wraps, and liquid glucosamine and turmeric gummies. But today I made it to that moment: full freedom, flying.

Not a full 10K (yet), but the end of the Runkeeper program, and 60 minutes running: no stop, finishing strong ❤️
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Just kidding, all the looks mean that.
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36yrs old: “I looked at my computer screen for 15 minutes before remembering to switch into glasses and now I can’t blink.” 
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Forgot to take photos of our “home with a crowded table” during a beautiful Easter dinner, but so loved stretching the holiday out over three days dyeing #pysanky with @lisasana, @liv.nich, Brynn, Caily, and Chloe. We used various teas along with beet powder and turmeric to make dye on Friday night and drew with the wax from tea light candles on Saturday and every night girls ran to and from our homes under the warm weekend’s full moon. The kids had such fun blowing the eggs that (thank goodness) we moms didn’t have to 😂 

#easterphotodump #eastereggs #pinkmoon #springsnow #homemadedye #easter2022 #crowdedtable #plantyourgarden #romantisizeyourlife
    Instagram post 17957270350683206 Instagram post 17957270350683206
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    I like my hair’s natural texture, but I don’t I like my hair’s natural texture, but I don’t give it enough love. Usually I straighten or blow dry or curl it away before I have to do anything “professional” or “in public” or “normal” but the kids and I call it my witchy hair and when it’s like this I feel most me. Tonight I’m teaching a writing class and students will develop plots as wild as my waves. Death to styling tools (at least today anyway).
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