in 1988, allison published "trash: short stories", a collection of semi-autobiographical short stories. this won two lambda literary awards. the book was inspired by a negative review of mab segrest's collection of essays, "my mama's dead squirrel," that infuriated allison, who was repulsed by reviewer's use of words like "white trash" and his insulting attitude toward southerners. to dispel the stereotype that southerners were stupid, brain-damaged, or morally lacking, she spent the next two years writing "trash".