Born in
Long Pond,
Newfoundland, Tom Dawe has written poetry and children's literature for many years. He is also a visual artist. His work often draws on folklore, mythology, autobiography, and Newfoundland culture, particularly the experience of growing up in a Newfoundland
outport community. Tom Dawe was a founding member in 1973 of
Breakwater Books, the province's first publishing house. He was also a co-founder of
TickleAce magazine, and an editor of the folklore publication
The Livyer. Dawe also taught English at
Memorial University of Newfoundland. His work is the subject of
Rewriting Newfoundland Mythology: The Works of Tom Dawe, by Martina Seifert. In the opening of his career, Tom Dawe felt too shy to read his own work to others. To get him going, venerable publisher
Clyde Rose offered to do the readings for him. From the lesson, Dawe became highly proficient at public delivery. As an example (like many other events through the years), Dawe successfully led the 2015 holiday
CBC audio presentation of ''The Old Man's Winter Night''. Tom Dawe was made a Member of the
Order of Canada in 2011 and an Officer of the
Order of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2012. From 2010–2013, Dawe was the poet laureate of St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. His 2019
New and Collected Poems was shortlisted in the poetry category for the 2020
ReLit Award. In the 2020
Walrus essay
The Poet Who Warns Us Not to Revere the Past, Tom Dawe is said to be "about the difficulty of change" made from his own "disarmingly plain-spoken, quietly perceptive poems". ==Bibliography==