Jean Blewett | |
|---|---|
 Jean Blewett c. 1896 | |
| Born | Janet McKishnie 4 November 1862 Scotia, Kent County, Canada West |
| Died | 19 August 1934 (aged 71) Chatham, Ontario |
| Pen name | Katherine Kent |
| Occupation | Newspaper editor |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Relatives | Eve Brodlique (cousin) |
| Signature | |
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Jean McKishnie Blewett (pen name, Katherine Kent; 4 November 1862 – 19 August 1934) was a Canadian journalist, author and poet. [1] [2]
Blewett was born Janet McKishnie in Scotia, Kent County, Canada West, in 1862 to Scottish immigrants [3] (some sources say 1872). [4] Eve Brodlique was her cousin. [5]
She attended St. Thomas Collegiate and in 1879, married Bassett Blewett and published her first novel, Out of the Depths. [1] In 1896, she won a US$600 prize from the Chicago Times-Herald for her poem "Spring". [4] [6]
Blewett was a regular contributor to The Globe , a Toronto newspaper and in 1898, became editor of its Homemakers Department. [1] In 1919, assisted by the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire, she published a booklet titled Heart Stories to benefit war charities. [1] During this time, she regularly lectured on topics such as temperance and women's suffrage. [2] She used the pseudonym "Katherine Kent" for some of her writing. [6]
In 1925, Blewett was compelled by ill-health to retire her editorship. [1] For two years, she lived with a daughter in Lethbridge, Alberta, before returning to Toronto in 1927. [1] She died in 1934 in Chatham, Ontario. [1]
After her death, fellow female journalist Bride Broder wrote in tribute:
There is a simplicity about Mrs. Blewett's prose and verse that has made a wide appeal, and her gay-hearted attitude to life, the humorous twists she gave to little things, made her very welcome as a speaker at women's gatherings. In all her writings she touched on the things that appeal to women everywhere and, in doing so, won the admiration of men readers also. [3]
Her brother, Archie P. McKishnie, was also a noted writer. [4]
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