Allison McVety's collection, the night Trotsky came to stay (Smith/Doorstop), was shortlisted for the Forward Best First Collection Prize 2008. Her poems have been published in The Times and PN Review and have been broadcast on BBC radio. Allison has an MA in Poetry and was shortlisted for the inaugural MMU Poetry Prize 2008. Her second collection, miming happiness (Smith/Doorstop), was published in May 2010.