Dorothy Gibbons

by Ailsa Osborne

Dorothy Gibbons was born in Falkirk, Central Scotland just in time for the ‘swinging sixties.’ As a child she loved reading Enid Blyton books and acting out the adventures with friends. Her uncle Ian was known for his ability to write poems about local people and events. He encouraged her to write by making it into a competition between them.

After leaving school she worked in a bookshop where she loved to read the work of such diverse writers as Scottish poet Robert Burns, American mystery writer Edgar Alan Poe and poet Emily Dickinson. These stories excited her and formed an interest for the written work which lay dormant for many years.

During a period of depression, following her divorce, Dorothy started writing poems as a way of escaping from her unhappy reality and instead creating her own imaginary world.

She finds being outdoors motivates her to write her poetry which often has a Scottish influence. Whilst living in Yorkshire she made many trips to Haworth, home of the Brontë sisters, and was stirred by the beauty of the moors which encouraged her to read Wuthering Heights which still remains a firm favourite story.

In 2011 Gibbons had a poem in a ‘Secrets of the heart’ anthology by United Press. The last verse is printed below.

The world's your oyster, you can go so far

No more living in the shadows of fear

Fantasy will be gone, welcome reality true

All the world will embrace you.

More recently she has concentrated on writing for young adults and older children.