Máighréad Medbh was born in Co. Limerick and has become well known as a textual innovator and dramatic performer. She has published seven books of poetry, the most recent a verse fantasy called Parvit of Agelast (Arlen House, 2016), which was influenced by the work of artist Pauline Bewick, and was shortlisted for the Pigott Prize in 2017. A prose work, Savage Solitude: Reflections of a Reluctant Loner (Dedalus, 2013), spans the genres with a dramatized internal conversation that includes quotes from eclectic reading. Several books explore themes: Tenant, a story in verse set during the famine (1999); Twelve Beds for the Dreamer, dreams in relation to the astrological cycle (2010); When the Air Inhales You, largely elegies (2008). Máighréad has performed in several countries and on the broadcast media. She has written for radio, and three novels are online as ebooks. She holds an M.A. in Poetry Studies from DCU and is currently working towards a practice-based PhD in Experimental Literature. A new book is due out in 2019. Website
Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi was born in Lagos, Nigeria and bred in Galway and Dublin. She is a recent honors graduate of a BA honours in English & Philosophy from University College Dublin. As well as creative writing and spoken word poetry, she works in marketing. Her literary work has been published in various magazines both online and in print–notably Smithereens Press, The Bohemyth, and the forthcoming “Writing Home” Anthology which she is co-editing with Dedalus Press, and which is open for submission till end of April. She has performed in festivals, cultural events and workshops around Ireland, most recently at Lilliput Press event celebration of Nollaig na Mban in January and Dublin Human Rights Festival Righteous Voices event. Her writing and videos are heavily saturated with themes of shifting and marginal identities, particularly focused on cultural diversity and memory, bodily autonomy and self care. She aims to promote women’s rights, positive mental health and the importance of creative expression.
You can find more of her work on her blog. Keep up with her work updates on Instagram & twitter at Unimaginable_Me & facebook @theunimaginablethings
Padraig Regan
Padraig Regan is the author of two poetry pamphlets: Delicious (Lifeboat, 2016) and Who Seemed Alive & Altogether Real (Emma Press, 2017). In 2015, they were a recipient of an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors. They have recently completed a PhD at the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry at Queen’s University.
Temper-Mental Miss Elayneous
Elayne Harrington is a student of Fine Art in the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland. She served the third year of her International BA Degree (Erasmus) in Sculpture & Expanded Practice and Critical Cultures in the University of Arts in Poznań, Poland.
Also known as Temper-Mental MissElayneous, Elayne is an accomplished performer in the Irish Hiphop and poetry world.
“Elayne Harrington is a consummate artist and wordsmith who has extended the definition of poetry on the island of Ireland. A gifted communicator and a riveting performer, she catalyses the energy of her audience through chant and rhythm, in lines that are charming, uplifting and radical.” – Professor of poetry, Paula Meehan
“…one of the country’s most exciting and provocative solo performers in any musical style.” – RTÉ
“Elayne is a superb communicator, with a creative, playful and responsive approach to her work and it’s delivery.” -Gareth Kennedy