Mairéad Byrne is the author of poetry collections THE BEST OF (WHAT'S LEFT OF) HEAVEN (Publishing Genius Press, 2010), TALK POETRY (Miami University Press, 2007), SOS Poetry (/ubu Editions, 2007), and Nelson & The Huruburu Bird (Wild Honey Press, 2003); and poetry chapbooks including State House Calendar, An Educated Heart, Vivas, Kalends, and The Pillar. Collaborations with visual artists include Jennifer's Family (photographs by Louisa Marie Summer), Lucky (illustrations by Abigail Lingford), and three books with Irish painters. Mairéad Byrne is the co-founder, curator and emcee for couscous, a poetry/music/performance series which has been running monthly for five years in Providence, where she is employed as Professor of Poetry + Poetics at Rhode Island School of Design.