Background
Valerie Gillies, a daughter of a Royal Air Force officer, was born on June 4, 1948, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, but was raised in Scotland.
Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, United Kingdom
Valerie received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1970. In 1974, she got a Master of Letters degree from the same educational establishment.
University of Mysore, Mysore, Karnataka, India
Between 1970 and 1971, Gillies attended the University of Mysore in India, where she studied traditional Sanskrit.
(Come and meet some wild men and tame beasts. Explore the ...)
Come and meet some wild men and tame beasts. Explore the fleeting moment and capture the passing of time in these portrait studies, which document a year's journey. Travel across Scotland with poet Valerie Gillies and photographer Rebecca Marr: share their passion for a land, where wild men can sometimes be tamed and tame beasts can get really wild. Among the wild men they find are a gunner in Edinburgh Castle, a Highland shepherd, a ferryman on the River Almond, an eel fisher on Loch Ness, a Borders fencer and a beekeeper on a Lowland estate. The beasts, portrayed in their own settings, include Clydesdale foals, Scottish deerhounds, Highland cattle, blackface sheep, falcons, lurchers, bees, pigs, cashmere goats, hens, cockerels, tame swans and transgenic lambs.
https://www.amazon.com/Men-Beasts-Wild-Animals-Scotland/dp/0946487928
2000
(Every spring has its own song - from potent legendary wel...)
Every spring has its own song - from potent legendary wells to inspiring new sources. Listening to the voice of each one, world-renowned poet Valerie Gillies composed a new poem to fit. "The Spring Teller" records the author's remarkable journey across Scotland, which took over three years and included visits to over a hundred springs.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spring-Teller-Poems-Springs-Scotland/dp/1906307768
2008
educator playwright reviewer poet
Valerie Gillies, a daughter of a Royal Air Force officer, was born on June 4, 1948, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, but was raised in Scotland.
Valerie received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1970. Between 1970 and 1971, she attended the University of Mysore in India, where she studied traditional Sanskrit. Then, Gillies continued her education at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with a Master of Letters degree in 1974.
In 1978, Valerie acted as a writer-in-residence at Boroughmuir High School in Edinburgh. Over the years, she held the same post at other establishments, including the Edinburgh Academy (1983), Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (1988-1990), Dundee District Libraries in Dundee (1988-1990), Midlothian and East Lothian libraries (1991-1993) and University of Edinburgh (1995-1997), among others.
Between 2009 and 2010 and in 2013-2014, Gillies researched and wrote as an associate of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
During her career, Gillies has authored many works, including "Trio: New Poets from Edinburgh" (1971), "Each Bright Eye: Selected Poems, 1971-1976" (1977), "Bed of Stone" (1984), "Tweed Journey" (1989), "The Spring Teller" (2008), "The Cream of the Well" (2014) and others. She has also written for literary and arts reviews, BBC radio and television, theatre, as well as worked with visual artists and musicians. The book "Men and Beasts: Wild Men and Tame Animals of Scotland" (2000) was the result of a year-long collaboration with the photographer Rebecca Marr. Her radio plays include "Rabbits" (1978), "Stories of the Mountains" (1979) and "The Ballad of Tam Lin" (1979).
In addition, Valerie has edited the Scottish Poetry Library’s first-ever "Poetry Map of Scotland", which maps locations and living poets on their interactive website. It's also worth noting, that she has also taught creative writing in schools, colleges and universities.
Currently, Valerie lives and works in Edinburgh.
(In this vibrant new collection, Valerie Gillies takes us ...)
2002(Every spring has its own song - from potent legendary wel...)
2008(Come and meet some wild men and tame beasts. Explore the ...)
2000Quotes from others about the person
"Born in Canada, brought up in Lanarkshire, and educated in Edinburgh and India... Gillies writes a richly varied poetry, which celebrates life." - Douglas Gifford
Valerie married William Gillies, a scholar and educator, in 1972. Their marriage produced three children - one son and two daughters.