MaryAnn Harris (1953-2024)
Artist, author, and musician MaryAnn Harris, 71, died June 3, 2024 after a long struggle with the Powassan virus. Harris was married to author Charles de Lint and was his frequent collaborator as manager, editor, and illustrator.
Harris was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She met de Lint in 1974, and they married in 1980. She served as de Lint’s business manager and first editor, and created the cover art for many of his books, including Triskell Tales: 22 Years of Chapbooks (2000), Refinerytown (2001), A Handful of Coppers (2003), Quicksilver & Shadow (2005), The Harp of the Grey Rose (2006), The Butter Spirit’s Tithe (2012), Under My Skin (2012), Dharma (2012), Crow Roads (2012), Jack in the Green (2012), Dog Boys (2012), Paperjack (2015), The Wind in His Heart (2017), Horsepower & Medicine (2019), Barrio Girls (2019), and Newford Stories: The Blue Fiddle (2022). She also drew numerous interior illustrations for his books and chapbooks.
With de Lint she cowrote stories “Humphrey’s Christmas” (1981) and “A Crow Girls Christmas” (2001). They also wrote, performed, and recorded music together; Harris sang and played mandolin, guitar, and bodhran.
In 2021 Harris contracted a rare tick-borne illness, the Powassan virus, and was subsequently paralyzed and spent much of the following years in the hospital and other care facilities.
