Like the rest of the research process, this book has been a collaborative effort. It has involved three writers and editors working out of Halifax, St. John's, and Whitehorse, as well as CCLOW executive director Aisla Thomson in Toronto. Throughout the process of pulling together this mass of information, the contact women from the twelve participating programs gave ongoing input and approval. We hope that their personal excitement, political commitment, and professional integrity is reflected in these pages.

About the authors

Tannis Atkinson has ten years experience with community-based literacy in an urban setting. She has also worked for ten years as a freelance writer and editor and has a particular interest in clear language and design. She has facilitated several books of student writings, developed oral history materials, and written a variety of reports for adult literacy organizations. When this research project started, Tannis was one of the program researchers at the Toronto ALFA Centre. While completing the documentation she moved to Whitehorse.

Frances Ennis is a feminist who has had over twenty years experience working in community development and social justice, women's health, and adult literacy. She has coordinated and participated in several action research projects and is co-founder of one of the first community-based adult literacy programs in the province. During the time of this research Frances received the Muriel Duckworth award at the 1993 Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW) conference for her work in action research. She is currently co-principal of a small firm based in St. John's which specializes in the design and implementation of distance education programs.

Betty-Ann Lloyd has developed her theory and practice of action research over the last fifteen years as a journalist, activist in the women's community, policy analyst, adult educator, and student. After completing a study of adult literacy in Nova Scotia, she worked within the provincial literacy bureaucracy, focusing on " policy development for community-based programming and action research with workplace programs. During her three-year involvement with the CCLOW women and literacy project, she finished course work and preliminary examinations for a Ph.D. in adult education at Dalhousie University. Betty-Ann's academic work continues to explore how front-line workers can use their participation in research as a tool for personal, professional, and political development.