Gillian Dawson
Gillian Dawson grew up in Ayrshire and lives in Renfrewshire. She is a campus library manager at the University of the West of Scotland. With an earlier career in archaeology, she feels most at home outdoors and, until the pandemic, her weekends were spent as a conservation volunteer leader with the National Trust for Scotland. She is an RSPB member.
Her themes reflect the natural world and the ways in which science informs our relationship with our environment. She began by writing haiku, attracted by its immersive quality, conveyed with simplicity and brevity, before moving into longer forms of poetry. Interested in calligraphy, origami and illustration, she enjoys experimenting with concrete and visual elements in her poems – her concrete poem ‘Murmuration’ was the winner of Gutter and Edwin Morgan Trust’s ‘All Things Are Possible’ Poetry Competition 2021.
Gillian is a member of St Mungo’s Mirrorball, Glasgow’s network of poets and poetry lovers, and a member of the Federation of Writers (Scotland). Donny O’Rourke’s guidance and the friendships formed as part of his writing group have been a lasting influence. She was mentored by John Glenday through the Clydebuilt poetry apprenticeship scheme from 2019-2021 and tries to follow his advice to read one hundred poems for every one you write.
Shortlisted for the Wigtown Poetry Prize 2020 and 2023, her poetry has appeared in publications including: Blithe Spirit: journal of the British Haiku Society; Presence haiku; Gutter, Northwords Now, Poetry Scotland and Magma.