Education

• B.A. Journalism, Syracuse University
• M.A. Media Studies, Concordia University

Journalism Background

• Columnist and sports writer for The Chicago Tribune.
• Page 2 columnist for Montreal's The Gazette.
• Freelance magazine writer for Chatelaine, Reader’s Digest, Inside Sports, Newsweek, People, Ladies Home Journal, Ottawa Magazine.

Courses Taught

Winner of the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence in the Faculty of Arts and Science in 2007, Prof. Kay will be teaching Magazine Writing (JOUR 404) in the fall and winter of 2012-13.

Areas of Research

Pioneering female journalists in Canada.

Academic Publications/Presentations

Book

• The Sweet Sixteen (McGill-Queen's University Press, Spring  2012), details the journey that resulted in the formation of the Canadian Women's Press Club. 
• The Reading List (Hamilton Books, 2005), a memoir, is a reflection upon the nature of truth in reporting and looks at the symbiotic relationships journalists build with their sources.

Chapters in Books

• Going Deep. Chapter in The Bigger Picture: Elements of Feature Writing for Canadian Journalists, Toronto: Edmond Montgomery Publications (July 2008).
• My Mom and Oprah. Essay included in an anthology, The Oprah Phenomenon, published by the University Press of Kentucky, 2007.

Articles in Refereed Journals

• Kay, L., Reilly, R. C., Amend, E. & Kyle, T. Between a rock and a hard place: The challenges of reporting about trauma and the value of reflective practice for journalists. Journalism Studies. Vol 12 No 4 out August 2011.

• Kay, L., Reilly, R. C., Connolly, K., & Cohen, S. Help or harm? Symbolic violence, secondary trauma and the impact of press coverage on a community. Journalism Practice. December 2010 edition.

Presentations

• Help or Harm? The impact of press coverage on a community experiencing trauma. Paper presented at the 1st Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, February 10, 2008.

• Stimulation through Simulations: Teaching journalists to cover trauma and tragedy. Paper presented at the 1st Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, February 10, 2008.

• Lines of Identity and Their Crossings. Paper presented to the annual conference of the Canadian Association of American Studies, UQAM Montreal, November 2007.
• Being the ''I'' witness: Ethical complexities and contextual sensitivities when investigating community trauma. Paper presented with Concordia colleague Kate Connolly at the Third Annual International Conference on Qualitative Research at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (May 2007).

Recent Journalism Production

• "Writer’s stories hold up after 60 years," The Globe and Mail, July 25, 2009.

• “Payton’s New Place,” Chicago Tribune, May 26, 2007.
• “It’s Time to Just Watch Me,” Globe and Mail, November 7, 2006.
• “DeScenza aims to atone for flop in Athens,” Chicago Tribune, July 23, 2005.
• “The Eatery Near the Runway,” The Gazette (Montreal), July 16, 2005.