Jessica Traynor (born 1984), is an Irish poet and creative writing teacher.
Biography
Jessica Traynor (07/09/1984) was born in Dublin. She attended
University College Dublin
University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...
where she completed an MA in creative writing in 2008.
Traynor worked for the
Abbey Theatre
The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...
in Dublin as the literary manager. She has also been the deputy director for the emigration museum, Epic.
Traynor is a poet and creative writing teacher. Her first book of poetry was shortlisted for the
Strong/Shine Award. Her second was an
Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
poetry choice of 2019. Her work has been translated into Portuguese. Traynor edited a best selling anthology with
Stephen Rea
Stephen Rea ( ; born October 31, 1946) is an Irish actor. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, he began his career as a member of Dublin's Focus Theatre, and played many roles on the stage and on Irish television. He came to the attention of inte ...
in 2019. The anthology was to raise funds for
Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland
The Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI) is an Irish advocacy group for those seeking international protection in Ireland, with the goals of ending direct provision and deportation.
History
MASI was founded in 2014 after the protests ...
, MASI, to call for an end to direct provision.
Traynor has had works on the ''
RTÉ
(; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...
’s Poetry Programme'', ''
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
'', ''
Sunday Miscellany'' and ''The Salvage Press''. She has done a number of residencies including Writer in Residence in Carlow College and Poet in Residence at the Yeats Society Sligo.
Traynor became the inaugural Creative Fellow of UCD.
Awards
Traynor has been awarded the Ireland Chair of Poetry Bursary and the
Dublin City Council
Dublin City Council () is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of the city of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the authority was k ...
Literature Bursary. She has won the Hennessy New Irish Writer of the Year and the Listowel Poetry Prize.
Works
* Liffey Swim, Dedalus Press, 2014
* The Quick, Dedalus Press, 2018
* Correspondences: an anthology to call for an end to direct provision
* Pit Lullabies, Bloodaxe Books, 2022
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Traynor, Jessica
1984 births
Writers from Dublin (city)
Irish women poets
Irish poets
Living people
Alumni of University College Dublin
Abbey Theatre
Writing teachers