Una Agnew is a native of north Co. Louth, close to the birthplace of the poet Patrick Kavanagh. She is a St Louis Sister, and taught for many years at the Milltown Institute, Dublin, Ireland. She studied spirituality at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, USA and completed her PhD in literature at University College Dublin. She is a founder member of the All Ireland Spiritual Guidance Association and is actively involved in Spiritual Directors in Europe. She has written and lectured widely on spiritual topics. Her research interest focuses on the interface between literature and spirituality.
Mary O’Donnell is one of Ireland’s best known contemporary authors. Her seven poetry collections include 'Spiderwoman’s Third Avenue Rhapsody', 'Unlegendary Heroes', both with Salmon Poetry, and 'Those April Fevers' (Ark Publications). Her poetry is available in Hungarian as Csodak földje with the publisher Irodalmí Jelen Könyvek. Fiction includes the novels 'The Light Makers' (reissued in 2017 with 451 Editions), 'The Elysium Testament' and 'Where They Lie'. A volume of essays on her work, 'Giving Shape to the Moment: The Art of Mary O’Donnell', was published in 2018 (Peter Lang). Her third short story collection, 'Empire', was published by Arlen House in 2018. An essay, “My Mother in Drumlin Country”, published in New Hibernia Review during 2017, was listed among the Notable Essays and Literary Nonfiction of 2017 in Best American Essays (Mariner). She is a regular invited guest at literary festivals and events both in Ireland and internationally. An elected member of Aosdana, Ireland’s affiliation of artists, she lives in County Kildare.
