Remaining in Canada, she was active in the country's feminist movement, editing the newspaper Kinesis and the literary journal Room of One's Own and teaching women's studies at Vancouver Community College.
She began publishing fiction in the early 1990s, winning the Journey Prize in 1993 for her short story "Sister Doyle's Men".
In 1994, she published her first short story collection, To Be There With You, which was a winner of the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize in 1995.
According to jury citation, Gayla Reid stands out for her stunningly beautiful language and her ability to depict places such as Canada, Australia, Vietnam etc.
Her fiction combines the poetry of language and observation with the force of highly accomplished and compelling narrative.