Maighread Medbh was born in Co. Limerick, Ireland, and now lives in Swords, Co. Dublin. Widely known for her experimental approach to text and powerful performance style, she has been described as 'a unique presence in the Irish literary scene'. Following her debut poetry collection, The Making of a Pagan (Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 1990), the conviction that poetry emerges from one's body led her to experiment with musical rhythms and moved her towards dramatic poetry. In the nineties, much of her work addressed political and social matters, and was primarily published in dramatic form. During this time, she was also writing novels and other works.
Maighread now has seven published collections and a non-fiction work, Savage Solitude, which is a scholarly, dramatised study of the lone state, published by Dedalus Press in April 2013. Her most recent book, Parvit of Agelast, a verse fantasy, was shortlisted for the Pigott Poetry Prize in 2017. She's currently pursuing a creative PhD in DCU.