Kayt Burgess

Kayt Burgess is a Canadian writer, who won the Three-Day Novel Contest in 2011 for her debut novel Heidegger Stairwell.[1] Published by Arsenal Pulp Press in 2012, the novel was subsequently a shortlisted nominee for the 2013 ReLit Award in the fiction category. She was also a finalist in the 2012 Three-Day Novel Contest, but did not win, for the not-yet-published novel Fauvel.

Heidegger Stairwell, about a successful Canadian indie rock band on the verge of collapse due to internal tensions, is narrated by a former girlfriend of the band's lead guitarist who has recently come out as a trans man,[2] and was noted for its unconventional narrative technique, including "editorial notes" from various characters disputing and contradicting the version of the story presented by the narrator.[2] The novel was subsequently adapted by music journalist Chandler Levack for the short film We Forgot to Break Up in 2017;[3] a full-length feature film adaptation to be directed by Karen Knox entered production in November 2022 for likely release in 2023.[4]

Burgess has also published short stories in the literary journals The Pinch and Mosaic, and published a standalone short story, "The Soprano", with Found Press in 2013.

Born in Manitouwadge, Ontario and raised in Elliot Lake,[1] Burgess was educated at Humber College, the University of Western Ontario and Bath Spa University.[1] She currently lives in Aurora, Ontario.