Dodging The Rain has evolved into a poetry journal, having been founded and edited by MA graduates of NUI Galway (Áine Ni Mhaoileoin, Rebecca Spicer, and Neil Slevin) and Uversity (Dana Rabe) in 2016. It provides an internet platform that showcases poetry to the world. Galway, Ireland is its spiritual home.

Neil Slevin — Editor-in-Chief 

Neil Slevin MA, BSc is from Co. Leitrim, Ireland. His poetry has been published widely and he is passionate about writing and editing. Neil edited Sin’s entertainment section and culture column, Resonate; he has worked as an editor with numerous writers over the years; and he sometimes reviews poetry collections. He teaches second-level English.

“I want poetry that feels – each poem to have its own personality and voice. Writing that experiments and challenges our preconceptions of poetry, that looks forward. Don’t pay tribute to poets past; hit me with concision, directness, ‘new.’

“I lean towards first-person poems with intense or unreliable narrators, third-person poems that are remarkably precise, and poetic experiments that will surprise and/or engage our readers.

“See our 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 Best of the Net nominations for some of my favourites. Justin Boening’s Then After is my favourite poem, while DTR regular John Grey has made a fine attempt to summarise what I’m looking for.

“Ultimately, I pick skillfully executed poems that mean something to me.”

Olga Dermott-Bond — Managing Editor

Originally from Northern Ireland, Olga Dermott-Bond has an MA in English Literature from the University of St Andrews and lives in Warwickshire. Her poetry has won national and international prizes. Olga is widely published and the author of two poetry pamphlets, apple fallen (Against the Grain Press, 2020) and A sky full of strange specimens (Nine Pens Press, 2021).

“I am drawn to poetry that carries both immediacy and resonance. Writing that is skilfully crafted, taut, and fearless always holds my attention. I love it when a poem creates a tiny earthquake for the reader.”