Grace Banks lives in Bray and studies English Literature and Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin. She was an Irish Writers Centre Young Writer Delegate at the 2021 International Literature Festival Dublin. Her personal essay Taylor and the Razor was published in the inaugural issue of Púca. You can find her on Instagram (@graceellabanks) and Twitter (@graceellabanks).
Joe Bishop, recipient of a Newfoundland & Labrador Arts & Letters award for poetry, is a Canadian poet who has had work appear in journals such as The Puritan, Plenitude Magazine, Innisfree Poetry Journal, and many more. He is featured on the League of Canadian Poets’ website. His first collection, Dissociative Songs, was published in 2021 by Frog Hollow Press. He lives in the city of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Kateryna Bortsova is a Ukrainian painter and graphic artist with a BFA in graphic arts and an MFA in fine and applied arts. Her works have appeared in exhibitions around the world, and she won a silver medal in the category “Realism” in the “Factory of Visual Art” (New York, US). She also won the 2015 Emirates Skywards Art of Travel competition, Dubai, UAE. You can follow her work on Instagram @katerynabortsova.
Alvy Carragher is an Irish poet based in Toronto. She has published two books of poetry and a children’s novel. Her poetry has appeared in The Irish Times, Poetry Ireland Review, and The Guardian. Her second poetry book the men I keep under my bed was published in 2021, and her debut collection of poetry Falling in love with broken things was published in 2016, both by Salmon Poetry.
Ciara Colette Hurley is a fine art photographer. Her greatest interests in life are spirituality, meditation, and spending time in nature. She has overcome her own struggles through meditation and yoga. Her work is inspired by this process of awakening. You can follow her journey @ciaracolettehurley on Instagram. She is currently based in Co. Cork.
Abby Connolly is an aspiring writer and illustrator from Dublin. She is currently in her final year of English Studies and is specializing in Creative Writing. To date her work has been featured in student-run magazines and the Dublin-based zine Sonder. She illustrates on a freelance basis, operating from her Instagram account @uglyprettyscary.
Sarah Corrigan was born in Belgium, raised in West Cork, and now lives in Galway, where she researches Latin texts and manuscripts of the early Middle Ages. She believes poetry is about finding new perspectives for both the poet and their audience. Sarah can also be found on Instagram (@sarahcorrigans) and Twitter (@sarahcorrigans).
Chris Fitzpatrick has published poems and short stories in the past, and works as a medical doctor. He writes and reads in order to understand life a little better. He is currently based in Dublin.
Lauren Foley is proudly bisexual, and disabled. She was awarded a Next Generation Artist’s Award in Literature from the Arts Council of Ireland. Her debut short story collection, Polluted Sex, is forthcoming from Influx Press, April 2022. You can follow her on Twitter @foleywan_kenobi.
Sadie Gilker is an interdisciplinary artist who works with words and textiles. Focused on sustainability and the reusability of items, they try to repurpose as much as they can find. You can follow them on Instagram @sad.ie.art.
Alfonso Gorostiaga D’Angelo is a Bolivian photographer currently studying for a master’s in World Politics and International Relations in Pavia, Italy. He says his true calling lies in (re)discovering the wonders of this planet, bringing attention to the topics that are important to us both as a human species and as individuals. You can follow him on Instagram @alfonsogda.
Rachel Gough is a writer and filmmaker from county Cork. She is currently a PhD candidate at University College Cork. She is inspired by nature, community, the weird and the wonderful. You can follow her on Instagram @babyyyteeth_.
Michelle Granville is a mixed media artist living in Sligo. Her recent work combines printmaking, painting and collage. Her work has appeared in The Outpost, Mayday magazine and The Hungry Ghost among others. You can find more of her work on Instagram @beleafmoon.
Áine Hayden is a self taught photographer who has been honing her skills over the many years travelling the length and breadth of Ireland, immersing in nature, capturing the wildness and beauty of the landscape and the people that move her greatly. Her photographic cards are stocked in The Dublin Food Co-op and The Winding Stair Book Shop, Dublin City. You can follow her on Instagram @ainehaydenphotographs.
Matt Hohner is an editor for Loch Raven Review. His work has been featured in The Moth, takahe, and New Contrast, among many others. Hohner’s first collection of poetry, Thresholds and Other Poems was published under Apprentice House, 2018, and his forthcoming collection will be published by Salmon Poetry next year. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Niamh Hughes is from Meath and studied in NCAD Dublin. She says of herself that she evokes a phantasmagorical menace. Her work, which comprises painting and costume design, is often symbolic of the delirium and existentialism that comes with exploring one’s place in the world. She currently lives in Edinburgh. You can follow her on Instagram @niamh_not_neeve, and Twitter @niamhhughesart.
Eleanor Martha Hulm a.k.a. ‘LNR’ is an visual artist with a background in Physics. She draws her inspiration from the intersections between art, science, music, technology, nature and activism. As for her technique, she is still experimenting with styles to find her place in the art world.
Ayushi Jain is a high-school student from Gurgaon, India. She is an ardent photographer, writer and poetry enthusiast. You can find her spending a merry Sunday afternoon in her room, with the perfect Urdu poetry in hand, with her mind occasionally drifting off to plot the perfect murder alongside her favourite, Agatha Christie.
Dee Jethwa is a writer on a mission to understand as much as she can about the complexities of the human condition. Her previous role as a secondary school English teacher left her feeling disillusioned; leaving allowed her to pursue her passion of essay writing. When she is not reading or writing, she can usually be found practising dance routines or baking vegan treats. You can read more about her essay writing journey on Instagram @theinfoshout, or @dee.j.writes for her poetry.
Charlotte Keane is a poet living in London with her husband Luke and part time cat. She has worked in television, animal rescue, and as an animal trainer. She has been writing for years and is currently preparing her first poetry collection. When not at her day job or writing she loves to spend time in the Ox Mountains, Sligo with her family. Her poetry often reflects the spirit of the mountains and the loughs and is heavily influenced by nature.
Sven Kretzschmar is a poet whose work has been featured in outlets such as Poetry Jukebox in Belfast, The Irish Times, and The Bangor Literary Journal among many others. His collection Fragments of Living was recently commended in the Full Fat Poetry Collection Competition. He hails from County Saarland, Germany.
Seán Larney is a disabled writer and poet based in Dublin. His work has appeared in the inaugural edition of A Page From My Life with The Ray Darcy Show, Icarus and The Renegade Rant and Rave, both at Trinity College Dublin, and the Galway based e-zine Dodging the Rain.
Geraldine Leahy is a mature student from Fingal, Co. Dublin studying with The Open College of the Arts, now in her final year of a course in Painting. Her work explores coastal erosion, and aims to create intriguing pieces which will encourage the viewer to think about, and act upon, environmental issues. You can follow her on Instagram @gleahyart or via her website www.gleahyart.com
Sarah Leavesley is a prize-winning photographer, journalist, poet and writer, who is particularly inspired by the shape-shifting of light, shadow and reflections. Currently based in the U.K., she was part of the Coventry-Cork twin cities poet exchange in 2013. You can follow her on her Instagram @s.a.leavesley, Twitter @Sarah_James, or via her website www.sarah-james.co.uk.
Claire Loader is a writer and photographer, born in New Zealand, now living in Galway. Her work is drawn to folklore, myth and place. Published in Splonk, Crannóg and Skylight 47, she was a winner of the Women’s Speak Poetry Competition in 2019, and has recently been nominated for the Forward Prize. You can follow her on Twitter @msloader.
Emily McGardle is a printmaker from Co. Monaghan. Graduating from DIT in 2016 in Fine Art, she went on to complete her master’s in printmaking in the Royal College of Art in London in 2020, and was awarded the Augustus Martin Print Prize. Humour, satire, and parody are important elements of her practice. Follow her on Instagram @emmilymcg.
Rafael Mendes is a writer and translator from Brazil based in Dublin. His work has appeared in Writing Home: The New Irish Poets and Arrival at Elsewhere. He’s a 2021 recipient of The Irish Writers Centre Course Bursary and is a candidate for a master’s in Comparative Literature at Trinity College Dublin. Follow him on Instagram @rafaelmendes341.
Jacob Kobina Ayiah Mensah is a mixed-media artist. He has practiced art all his life. His dreams and memories are his inspiration, which translates in his work to magic realism, surrealism, religion and hallucination. He says he is a proud ‘citizen of the earth’ and enjoys living in ‘chaos’. He is currently living in southern Ghana.
Mika Moret is a photographer whose love for the craft started when her father bought her a small digital camera. She was drawn to the idea of keeping ephemeral things alive forever, eternalize a moment in time, simply by clicking a button. Her work spans a ten year discovery of herself as a person via self-portraits. ‘Now I see photography as a way to know different parts of me and explore my own body.’ She is currently based in Dublin. Follow her Instagram @mikamoret.
Kate Morgan is from Carlow. She has been writing poetry for several years. Her poetry focuses on nature, social issues and the female experience. Kate has previously been published in Skylight 47, Windows Publications and Automatic Pilot.
Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan is a Dublin-based writer and performer from India. Her work has been published in Writing Home: The ‘New Irish’ Poets, Banshee and the Poetry Ireland Review, amongst others. Chandrika was editor of Poetry Ireland’s Trumpet issue 9, is book reviewer for Children’s Books Ireland’s Inis magazine, and is on the Board of the Irish Writers Centre.
Emer Ní Fhoghlú is a writer from Waterford. She is a contributor to Sonder, Bad Bride and EMPWR. She has particular interest in the gothic and surreal. You can follow her on Instagram @emfleurette.
Eugene O’Hare was shortlisted for the 2021 poetry prize at Belfast Book Festival. Recent poems have appeared in Dedalus Press, Atrium, Crossways, The Galway Review and others. His plays are published by Methuen. He is currently based in London.
Sophie Raoufi is a British-Iranian poet and writer who takes inspiration for her work from love, loss and technology. She lives in London. Read more of her work on her website: www.sophieraoufi.com.
Gavin Ritchie is a Scot and a Fifer, a lapsed guitar player, a Creative Writing graduate of Napier University, Edinburgh, and a teacher of English in the Forest of Dean. He has had poetry and flash fiction published with Youmanity, the Voices Along the Road anthology, Fractured West, among others. You can follow him on Twitter @sinsinminkin.
Noelle Sullivan is an Irish-American poet agus gaeilgeoir. Some of her poems have appeared in Crannóg, Ogham Stone, Hungry Hill, Abridged, and The Galway Review. She lives in Montana until the pandemic wanes. You can follow her on Twitter @MontanaGael.
Ross Thompson is a writer, avid video gamer and Lego collector from Bangor, Northern Ireland. His debut poetry collection Threading The Light is published by Dedalus Press. His work has appeared on television, radio, short films and in a wide range of publications. Most recently, he wrote and curated A Silent War, a collaborative audio response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is currently working on several projects including editing a second full-length book of poems. You can listen to his work on his website: rossthompson.bandcamp.com
Lydia Unsworth is a poet whose latest collection, Some Murmur was published in 2021 by Beir Bua Press. Her most recent pamphlets are YIELD and cement, terraces. Her work has been featured in Ambit, Banshee, and The Interpreter’s House amongst others. She lives in Manchester and Amsterdam. You can follow her on Twitter @lydiowanie.
Larina Warnock describes herself as a one-time teen mother and high school dropout. She holds a doctorate from Creighton University and teaches high school in rural Oregon, USA. Her work has appeared in Rattle, Oregon Humanities, Barren Magazine, and others. Her TEDx Talk, “The Other Statistic,” is available to view on the TEDx YouTube channel. You can follow her on Twitter @thedocnock.
Glen Wilson is a multi-award winning poet from Portadown. He won the Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing in 2017, the Jonathan Swift Creative Writing Award in 2018, and The Trim Poetry competition in 2019. His poetry collection An Experience on the Tongue is out now with Doire Press. Follow him on Twitter @glenhswilson.
