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I was born in 1968 in Enniskillen - I'm an Ulster poet. I graduated from Teach na hEigse (Poets' House) and hold a BA from the University of London, an MA with Distinction in Creative Writing and a PhD both from Lancaster University. My work has twice been short-listed for the prestigious Hennessy Award, placed in the equally competitive Kavanagh Awards and The New Writer Poetry Prizes - so I have managed to get back at least some of the thousands of pounds I've spent on postage, paper, ink, drink and therapy.

My first collection, At The Waters' Clearing, was published jointly by Flambard and Black Mountain Presses in 2001 and a second collection, Songs For No Voices, was published in 2004 by Lagan Press. My third collection, Blood, was published by Bluechrome in 2005. My work has received widespread critical approval from its reviewers most notably in PN Review, London Magazine, Poetry Ireland, Envoi, Orbis and Shearsman - although, thankfully I still manage to annoy some of the more po-faced lot.

My poetry and translations from the Irish and German languages have been published in many journals and anthologies in Ireland, Britain, USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan, Nepal and Malaysia. My work has been translated into Dutch and Malay and has also featured as 'Poem of the Week' in both The Guardian and The Independent on Sunday and has also appeared in The London Magazine, Poetry Review, The Irish Times and Sunday Tribune.

In 2002 I co-edited Breaking The Skin which was published by Black Mountain Press and was hailed as the most important anthology of new Irish poets for a decade - and then promptly sank without trace. I have also published book reviews and academic essays in a number of journals and on the internet. I was Guest Poetry Editor for two issues of The New Writer and was Guest Editor of The Black Mountain Review in 2004. Most recently, I edited the Arts pages for Fortnight's April 2007 issue. I have also reviewed regularly for London Magazine and Poetry Review.

I have been Writer in Residence in Co. Fermanagh, and for three years I taught 'Poetics & Form' and 'Traditions' at Teach na hEigse (Poets' House) in Ireland. I have read my work at literary festivals in Ireland and Britain and on local and national radio - most recently I read at the Dublin International Writers Festival in 2005 and I'm scheduled to read in March 2007 as part of the Oxfam Series in London and Ledbury Poetry Festival. I am currently available for readings in the UK.

I am a member of the Management Committee of NAWE and I have been awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and elected a Fellow of the RSA. I am Reader in Creative Writing at the University of Gloucestershire and Course Leader on the MA in Creative & Critical Writing.