Gail Thomas

Gail Thomas has published six books of poetry: Trail of Roots (Seven Kitchens Press), Leaving Paradise (Human Error Publishing),  Odd Mercy (Headmistress Press), Waving Back (Turning Point), No Simple Wilderness: An Elegy for Swift River Valley (Haley’s) and Finding the Bear (Perugia). Her poems have appeared in many literary journals and anthologies and have won national prizes. Odd Mercy was chosen by Ellen Bass for the Charlotte Mew Prize from Headmistress Press, and Waving Back was named a Must Read for 2016 by the Massachusetts Center for the Book.  She won the Narrative Poetry Prize from the Naugatuck River Review judged by Kaveh Akbar, and the Pat Schneider Prize. She is the recipient of writing and teaching grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation, and was awarded residencies at the MacDowell Colony and Ucross. She was a founding artist and trainer for the Massachusetts Cultural Council's Elder Arts Initiative and has collaborated with artists across the state for workshops and performances. She teaches poetry craft workshops for Pioneer Valley Writers' Workshops and is available for private mentoring. Gail is a frequent presenter at poetry festivals and conferences, and reads her work widely in community and academic settings. She lives in Northampton, MA.