I write fiction, poetry, autobiography and the odd screenplay. My two most recent books are the narrative poems Sing-song and The Time of the Giants (both Auckland University Press). The latter reconfigures myth in a contemporary setting. As the descendent of Irish immigrants to Aotearoa/New Zealand, I am interested in where and how diasporas find us today. Among other publications are two novels, A Boy and His Uncle (Picador), and Musica Ficta (University of Queensland Press). I have a music background. An essay/review of Philip Norman’s biography of the New Zealand composer, Douglas Lilburn, appears in the May 2007 Landfall.

I am co-editor of Trout: an online journal of arts and literature from Aotearoa and the Pacific Islands (www.trout.auckland.ac.nz), which recently had the privilege of including work by students from the UHM English Department creative writing program.

Area of interest
Creative Writing

Education
MA, Victoria University of Wellington
BMus, Victoria University of Wellington