Poet, essayist, and librettist Jessica Traynor was born in Dublin and completed an MA in creative writing at University College Dublin in 2008. Her debut, Liffey Swim (Dedalus Press, 2014), was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award, and The Quick (Dedalus Press, 2018) followed. Pit Lullabies (Bloodaxe Books, 2022) was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation; her fourth collection, New Arcana, appeared from Bloodaxe in 2025. She has worked as literary manager of the Abbey Theatre and has written libretti for several operas. Her awards include the Hennessy New Irish Writer of the Year, the Listowel Poetry Prize, and the Lawrence O'Shaughnessy Award in 2023.
