Up till my mid-twenties, I had a recurring nightmare where I couldn’t speak. I would scream and scream trying to get what I wanted to say out but my family and friends couldn’t hear me. Once I started writing these nightmares went away so I kept writing. And I keep writing with the belief that something really worthwhile is going to come out.

My poetry emerged from a desire to get back on stage and perform in front of a live audience. I’ve performed at festivals and live events including Electric Picnic, Fingal Poetry Festival and the International Cuirt Festival. I was a finalist in the All Ireland Poetry Slam 2019 and The Moth Story Grand Slam in 2018.

I’m currently working on my first collection of written poetry, ‘Purple Onion’. My poems have been published in journals and online including The Storms Journal and Spontaneity Magazine and I was this year’s winner of the Fingal Libraries Poetry competition. 

I am a founding member of Rising Tide who work in collaboration with UNESCO Dublin City of Literature to present showcase poetry events and slams in Dublin.

See below and the sidebar for some performance poetry videos and written poetry.

For all enquiries and bookings contact me at sheilamryder@gmail.com