Dahlen is a native of
Portland, Oregon, where she attended public schools. she moved with her family to
Eureka, California, after
World War II. In 1956, she resettled in San Francisco where she has lived for many years. Her first book,
Out of the Third, was published by Momo's Press in 1974. Two chapbooks,
A Letter at Easter (Effie's Press, 1976) and
The Egyptian Poems (Hipparchia Press, 1983), were followed by the publication of the first volume of
A Reading in 1985 (
A Reading 1—7, Momo's Press). Since then, three more volumes of
A Reading have appeared, a serial poem that continues to be in process. Dahlen was a cofounder, with
Kathleen Fraser and Frances Jaffer of the feminist poetics newsletter
(HOW)ever. In December 2008 her work was honored by Small Press Traffic with their annual Lifetime Achievement Award. She also received a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists award (2013). ==Selected publications==