Alison Pick
Encyclopedia
Alison Pick is a Canadian
novelist and poet. She has published two novels and two collections of poetry.
Pick was born in 1975 in Toronto
, Ontario
and grew up in Kitchener
. In 1999 she graduated from the University of Guelph
with a B.A. in psychology.
Her first book was written while living in Saskatchewan
at a Benedictine monastery, then at a cattle ranch, and then in Saskatoon
. She currently lives in Toronto with her husband, writer Degan Davis, and their daughter.
The title section of Pick's poetry collection Question & Answer won the 2002 Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award
for Poetry and the 2003 National Magazine Award for Poetry. The book itself was short-listed for the League of Canadian Poets Gerald Lampert Award
for best first book of poetry, and for a Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award. Pick also won the 2005 CBC Literary Award for Poetry.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
novelist and poet. She has published two novels and two collections of poetry.
Pick was born in 1975 in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and grew up in Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
. In 1999 she graduated from the University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
with a B.A. in psychology.
Her first book was written while living in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
at a Benedictine monastery, then at a cattle ranch, and then in Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
. She currently lives in Toronto with her husband, writer Degan Davis, and their daughter.
The title section of Pick's poetry collection Question & Answer won the 2002 Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award
Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award
The Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada to a writer under 35 who has not yet published his or her first book....
for Poetry and the 2003 National Magazine Award for Poetry. The book itself was short-listed for the League of Canadian Poets Gerald Lampert Award
Gerald Lampert Award
The Gerald Lampert Memorial Award is made annually by the League of Canadian Poets to the best volume of poetry published by a first-time poet. It is presented in honour of poetry promoter Gerald Lampert...
for best first book of poetry, and for a Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award. Pick also won the 2005 CBC Literary Award for Poetry.
Prizes and honours
- 2002 - Bronwen Wallace Memorial AwardBronwen Wallace Memorial AwardThe Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada to a writer under 35 who has not yet published his or her first book....
for Poetry (for the title section of Question & Answer) - 2002 - Shortlist, League of Canadian Poets Gerald Lampert Award (for Question & Answer)
- 2002 - Shortlist, Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award (for Question & Answer)
- 2003 - National Magazine Award for Poetry
- 2005 - CBC Literary Award for Poetry (for "The Mind's Eye")
- 2008 - The Globe and MailThe Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
Top 100 Book (for The Sweet Edge) - 2011 - Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award, fiction category (for Far to Go)
- 2011 - Longlist, The Man Booker Prize for Fiction (for Far to Go)
Novels
- The Sweet Edge (2005, Raincoast BooksRaincoast BooksRaincoast Books is a Canadian book distribution and wholesale company. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Raincoast was founded by Mark Stanton and Allan MacDougall in 1979 as a consignment wholesaler that shared overhead, warehouse space and staff with the pair's sales agency, Stanton &...
) - Far to Go (2010, House of Anansi PressHouse of Anansi PressHouse of Anansi Press is a Canadian publishing company, founded in 1967 by writers Dennis Lee and Dave Godfrey. The company specializes in finding and developing new Canadian writers of literary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction....
)
Poetry
- Question & Answer (2002, Raincoast BooksRaincoast BooksRaincoast Books is a Canadian book distribution and wholesale company. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Raincoast was founded by Mark Stanton and Allan MacDougall in 1979 as a consignment wholesaler that shared overhead, warehouse space and staff with the pair's sales agency, Stanton &...
) - The Dream World (2008, McClelland & Stewart)