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Gearóid MacLochlainn was born in Belfast in 1966 and writes in both English and Irish. His third poetry book, Sruth Teangacha / Stream of Tongues (2002), is a dual-language collection. As well as being writer-in-residence at both Queens University and the University of Ulster, he has written books for children in Irish and regularly gives workshops, readings and interviews about Irish language arts in Northern Ireland.

Alice Maher was born in County Tipperary, Ireland.  She is widely celebrated for her work across a range of media, including sculpture and photography, as well for her remarkable drawings and paintings. The long flowing hair that features in the Ten Poems from Ireland cover image ‘Born Seeing’ is a recurring motif in her work. Maher was elected to Asodána, which recognises leading Irish artists and writers and has completed residencies at the Irish Museum of Modern Art and in Paris.  Her solo exhibition ‘Glorious Maids of the Charnel House’ was held at the Purdy Hicks Gallery in London in 2016.

Derek Mahon (1941 – 2020) was born in Belfast and was regarded as one of the most significant and innovative poets of his generation. As well as award-winning essays and translations, he published many poetry collections including Life on Earth (2008) and An Autumn Wind (2010), both with The Gallery Press. A New Selected Poems was published by Faber in 2016.

Nick Makoha published his debut collection Kingdom of Gravity in 201. It was shortlisted for the Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection and was a Guardian’s Book of the Year. He won the 2015 Brunel International African Poetry Prize and the 2016 Toi Derricotte & Cornelius Eady Prize for his pamphlet Resurrection Man. His poems have appeared in numerous journals including the Cambridge Review, the New York Times, Poetry Review, TriQuarterly Review, Boston Review, Callaloo and Wasafiri. He is a Trustee for the Arvon Foundation and the Ministry of Stories, a member of the Malika’s Poetry Kitchen collective and founder of The Obsidian Foundation.

Osip Mandelstam (1891 – 1938) is one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. He studied at the Sorbonne, the University of Heidelberg and the University of St. Petersburg but gave up his studies to write Stone (1913), a collection heavily influenced by Russian Symbolism. His second, Tristia (1922), firmly established his reputation. He spent his latter years serving sentences for counter-revolutionary activities in various work camps and died in captivity.

Freya Manfred is an American writer and teacher who has published nine collections of poetry, most recently Loon in Late November Water (Red Dragonfly Press, 2018).  She has also written a memoir Raising Twins: A True-Life Adventure. Her themes range from nature to human relationships, the mystery of dreams, love, longing, illness and death.