Gavin Bradley, paleontology lecturer, wins prestigious international poetry award

Gavin Bradley, a lecturer in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, is the winner of the prestigious 2023 Bridges of Struga International Poetry Award for his book, Separation Anxiety (University of Alberta Press, 2022), a collection of poems that examine the emotional toll of separation. 

Separation, in various manifestations, is something that Bradley has experienced most profoundly as an Irish immigrant to Canada, who, by choice, left his family and friends in pursuit of a childhood dream of studying dinosaurs. 

A Belfast native, Bradley’s fascination with paleontology began with Jurassic Park which he watched over and over again as a young child, and it has never wavered, even as guidance counsellors struggled to find an academic connection in a country where only two dinosaur fossils had ever been found. 

“Oh you mean like Ross on Friends?”

Sort of, replied Bradley, who found his way to Queen’s University Belfast, obtaining a BSc in Archaeology and Palaeoecology (with First Class Honours) in 2012. When an exchange opportunity to Canada, specifically Edmonton, opened up, Bradley jumped at the chance to immerse himself in Alberta’s rich dinosaur history, which would eventually lead him to complete his master’s degree in systematics and evolution (dinosaur paleobiology) under Philip Currie at the University of Alberta in 2015. 

His research examined juvenile specimens of the tyrannosaurid Gorgosaurus, a cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex whose 75 million year old bones have been found extensively in Alberta. The name Gorgosaurus, explains Bradley, means “dreadful lizard.” It’s still his favourite dinosaur.

Now a U of A lecturer, Bradley teaches introductory paleontology classes and is the coordinator of the 20+ Faculty of Science Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), including the popular Dino 101. His mother took the course, says Bradley, and her certificate still resides on the family’s fridge. 

Even as he builds an international reputation as a poet, Bradley stresses that there is no incongruity in being a poet and a scientist. 

“Between paleontology and poetry, yeah there’s a difference,” he laughs. “But the science and arts thing — the divide is not that big. Having that creative side is becoming more and more important, especially in terms of science communication. Some of the most creative people I know are scientists, and vice versa, some of the most methodical people I know are artists. I have borrowed hugely from paleontology and zoology in my poetry book. Science and art are ways of understanding the world and communicating what we understand. It’s interesting how they kind of bleed into each other”.

Though his first and most enduring love was dinosaurs, Bradley’s appreciation for poetry came later, via music, specifically “angsty teenage bands” like The Libertines and Babyshambles. 

“They were taking some of their lyrics from Romantic poetry, and I’d go to the library and read whatever book Pete Doherty was referring to in his lyrics,” he says. “At the same time, I was discovering W.B. Yeats in secondary school, and that all just hit at the right time.”

While the Irish have a long tradition of poetry, Bradley also takes inspiration from the Northern Irish authors of his “post-Troubles generation” who are responding to “that weird, uneasy, trying to put yourself back together” sensibility. “I think something great is going to come from it.” 

Now 10 years in Canada, Bradley says the feeling of homesickness is a constant whether he’s in Edmonton or Belfast, but he has no regrets about leaving Ireland for Edmonton. 

“In terms of the arts scene in Edmonton, people show up for things. It doesn't matter what you do, people will show up for it. We’re a bigger city than Belfast, but it doesn't feel like it. This city suits me like a glove.” 

On July 4, 2023 Separation Anxiety was shortlisted for the Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry by the Alberta Book Publishing Awards.

The Bridges of Struga Award was established in 2003, as part of the extensive cooperation with UNESCO, on the occasion of World Poetry Day – March 21 – in an attempt to stimulate, promote and affirm works of poetry as one of the most significant creative expressions of humanity. This international poetry award is for the best debut book by a young author. It is celebrated jointly by the Struga Poetry Evenings and UNESCO.