GOM, Leona 1946-

PERSONAL: Born August 29, 1946, in Fairview, Alberta, Canada; daughter of Tony (a farmer) and Mary (a farmer; maiden name, Baron) Gom. Education: University of Alberta, B.Ed. (with honors), 1968, M.A. (with honors), 1971.

ADDRESSES: Home—British Columbia, Canada. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Sumach Press, 1415 Bathurst St., Ste. 202, Toronto, Ontario M5R 3H8, Canada.

CAREER: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, instructor in English, c. 1970-73; Kwantlen College, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, instructor in English, 1975-92; University of British Columbia, Vancouver, teacher of creative writing, 1993-95; writer, 1995—. University of Alberta, writer in residence, 1987-88; University of Lethbridge, writer in residence, 1989; University of Winnipeg, writer in residence, 1990; also taught English at secondary schools in British Columbia.

MEMBER: League of Canadian Poets (regional representative of British Columbia, 1974-76), Federation of British Columbia Writers.

AWARDS, HONORS: Award from Canadian Authors Association, 1980, for Land of the Peace; Ethel Wilson Award for Fiction, 1986; British Columbia Book Prize, 1987.

WRITINGS:

POETRY

Kindling, Fiddlehead Poetry Books (Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada), 1972.

The Singletree, Sono Nis Press (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 1975.

Land of the Peace, Thistledown Press (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada), 1980.

North Bound: Poems Selected and New, Thistledown Press (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada), 1984.

Private Properties, 1986.

The Collected Poems, 1991.

NOVELS

Housebroken, NeWest Press (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), 1986.

Zero Avenue, Douglas & McIntyre (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), 1989.

The Y Chromosome, Second Story Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1990.

After-Image: A Vicky Bauer Mystery, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1996.

Double Negative: A Vicky Bauer Mystery, Second Story Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1998.

Freeze Frame: A Vicky Bauer Mystery, Second Story Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1999.

Hating Gladys, Sumach Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2002.

OTHER

The Inheritance (radio play), Canadian Broadcasting Corp., 1973.

Sour Air (radio play), Canadian Broadcasting Corp., 1974.

Author of a pamphlet, "North," League of Canadian Poets (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1980. Work represented in anthologies, including Canadian Humour and Satire; Going for Coffee; and Forty Women Poets of Canada. Contributor to magazines, including Dalhousie Review, Malahat Review, Queen's Quarterly, West Coast Review, Canadian Forum, and Fiddlehead. Event, began as poetry editor, became editor, beginning 1979.

SIDELIGHTS: Leona Gom once told CA that much of her writing describes the Peace River country of northern Alberta.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Books in Canada, November, 1986, review of Housebroken, p. 37; March, 1987, review of Private Properties, p. 31; January, 1991, review of The Y Chromosome, p. 42; May, 1992, review of The Collected Poems, p. 60.

Canadian Book Review Annual, 1996, review of After-Image: A Vicky Bauer Mystery, p. 162; 1999, review of Double Negative: A Vicky Bauer Mystery, p. 168.

Canadian Literature, winter, 1997, Ian Dennis, "Thru the Smoky End Boards: Canadian Poetry about Sports and Games," p. 181.

Essays on Canadian Writing, spring, 1988, review of Housebroken, p. 81; spring, 1991, Paul Denham, "'My Modern Life:' The Poetry of Leona Gom," p. 144; spring, 1991, review of Land of the Peace, The Singletree, Northbound: Poems Selected and New, and Private Properties, p. 152.

Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 1996, review of After-Image, p. 1189.

Queen's Quarterly, autumn, 1988, review of Housebroken, p. 568.

Quill & Quire, October, 1986, review of Housebroken, p. 44; November, 1989, review of Zero Avenue, p. 23; October, 1998, review of Double Negative, p. 28.*