Kenneth Ronald Mitchell was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and received his elementary and secondary education there. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1965 and a Master of Arts (English) in 1967 from the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus. He has taught English at the University of Regina and it's predecessor University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus, since 1967, specializing in Canadian Literature. He has also travelled to China, the Philippines, Korea, Mexico, and Scotland for various colloquia and teaching stints, and has instructed at the University of Victoria (1975-76), the Banff School of Fine Arts (1977,1978,1980), and the Saskatchewan Summer School of the Arts (1970-75). As a writer, whose work deals chiefly with prairie themes, Mitchell has tackled many genres (novels, poetry, drama, short stories, film scripts, and criticism), and he has also worked as an editor and actor. He is the author of several published works including, "Wandering Rafferty" (1972), "Sinclair Ross: a Reader's Guide" (1981), "Cruel Tears: a Country Opera" (1976), "The Shipbuilder" (1990), and "Stories for the Dalai Lama" (1993). His poems, interviews, stories and plays have been published in over 45 anthologies and collections, and in numerous journals. He has written more than 20 plays, which have been produced in Canada, the United States, England, Germany, New Zealand, China, and Ireland, and his work has been adapted for radio, television, and film. His play "Gone the Burning Sun" won the 1985 Canadian Authors Association Award for Drama, and was nominated for a Governor General's Award. Besides giving literary readings and creative writing workshops internationally, Ken Mitchell has participated in a number of professional activities, most notably as a founding member and frequent executive officer of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild, founding editor of the literary journal "Grain", and a founding member of the Saskatchewan Writers' Colony.