title: Gay Allison
text: # Gay Allison
  
  Gay Allison (born 1953) is a Canadian poet, editor, and English teacher. She was the fiction editor of The Canadian Forum, poetry editor of Waves, founding editor of a feminist journal, Fireweed, co-editor of Landscape, and founding member of the Women's Writing Collective of Toronto. Additionally, Allison is an advisory board member of Tiger Lily, a journal by women of colour. Allison is also a full member of the League of Canadian Poets.
  
  She was the recipient of the Poetry Award from the Federation of Women Teachers' Association of Ontario (FWTAO) in 1982 and 1986.
  
  ## Early life
  
  Allison was born in Saskatchewan. She has since lived in Saskatoon, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Toronto.
  
  ## Work
  
  Allison's poetry in The Unravelling, focuses on daily life "at a slow meditative pace."
  
  ## Publications
  
  ### Poetry
  
  * Life: Still. (1981)
  * In the Valley of the Butterflies (1981)
  * The Unravelling (1986)
  * "Iron Shirt Moves" (1988)
  
  ### Anthologies
  
  * Women and Words: The Anthology/Les femmes et les mots: Une anthologie (1984)
  * Sp/Elles: Poetry by Canadian Women/Poésie de femmes canadiennes (1986)
  
  ## Awards
  
  * Federation of Women Teachers' Association of Ontario, Poetry Award, 1982, 1986.
  * Tyrone Guthrie Award, Stratford Festival, 1997.
  