Rosemary Canavan was born in Scotland, and brought up in County Antrim, Ireland. Her first collection The Island was shortlisted for the Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize at the University of Melbourne, Australia. In 2001 she was Writer-in-Residence for Co. Kerry, and from 2006-7 she was Poetry Editor for Southword. She has worked as a graphic designer, and a teacher in varied locations including Belfast, and Spike Island and Cork Prisons. She currently teaches Creative Writing in County Cork.