but while she began a Ph.D. she did not matriculate as she did not write a thesis. Avison converted to Christianity (from agnosticism) in 1963. She wrote about that experience in her second book of poetry, The Dumbfounding (1966). Avison taught at Scarborough Hall, University of Toronto between 1966–1968, and also volunteered at Presbyterian mission named Evangel Hall during this time. Avison was writer-in-residence at the University of Western Ontario for eight months in 1973. From 1973 to 1978 she worked in the archives division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). In 1978 she joined Toronto's Mustard Seed Mission as a secretary, and worked there until her retirement in 1986. Avison became an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1984. Her fourth collection of poems, No Time, came out in 1990, and won her a second Governor General's Award. In 2003 Avison's Concrete and Wild Carrot won the Griffin Poetry Prize. "Lauding Avison as 'a national treasure,' Griffin Poetry Prize judges praised the 'sublimity' and 'humility' of her poetry -- which they described as 'some of the most humane, sweet and profound poetry of our time.'" Avison was honoured for her contributions to Canadian literature by various honorary degrees: Acadia University (1983), York University (1985), and Victoria University (1988). Margaret Avison died in Toronto on July 31, 2007, age 89, from undisclosed causes. Writing Avison can be considered a spiritual or metaphysical poet; "her work is often described by reviewers as introspective, observant, and deeply spiritual." "Many critics compare her work to the great metaphysical poets of the 17th century." The Encyclopædia Britannica describes her as a "Canadian poet who revealed the progress of an interior spiritual journey in her three successive volumes of poetry," referring to her first three books, Winter Sun, The Dumbfounding, and sunblue. With Winter Sun, "Avison established herself as a difficult and introspective poet given to private images and subtle shadings of emotion that challenge and frustrate the reader" (says The Canadian Encyclopedia). "These complexities in her writing conceal a deeply religious and vulnerable sensibility." "In this volume the poet's subject matter varies from environmental destruction and the plight of the poor to metaphysical ponderings and playful explorations of language. Avison's emphasis is on looking at the familiar in new and thought-provoking ways." "One of Avison's principal concerns in Winter Sun is perception, and she consistently emphasizes looking at the familiar in new and