Mamang Dai is a poet, novelist, and journalist born in Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh. Her poetry, fiction, and articles have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Her published works include a novel, The Black Hill; a poetry collection, River Poems; a book of interlinked stories, The Legends of Pensam; and a novella, Stupid Cupid. She received the Verrier Elwin Award in 2003 for her book Arunachal Pradesh: The Hidden Land, and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2011 in recognition of her contributions in the fields of literature and education. Dai lives in Itanagar.