Mary Kathryn Arnold (1976–2026) was a Canadian poet and librarian whose work appeared in journals in Canada and the United States, including The Fiddlehead, The Antigonish Review, Arc Poetry Magazine, Prairie Fire, and The Dalhousie Review. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she studied English at the University of King’s College and the University of Toronto before completing a Master of Library and Information Studies at Dalhousie University. She faced significant health challenges throughout her life, including going blind in her mid-thirties due to the rare mitochondrial disease that eventually took her life. Poetry was essential to her throughout her life. She participated in a residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity with ‘Texas,’ her trusty service dog. She continued to write until the end of her life, with support from her wife. Known for her resiliency and advocacy, she lived and wrote with imagination, wit, and irrepressible spirit.
