Dodging the Rain 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’s an internet platform that showcases poetry to the world but Galway, Ireland is its spiritual home.

Essential information for anyone interested in Dodging the Rain: https://sixquestionsfor.blogspot.com/2023/06/six-questions-for-neil-slevin-editor-in.html

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 published poets; and he reviews poetry collections. Neil 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; favour 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 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

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), A sky full of strange specimens (Nine Pens Press, 2021), and one collection, Frieze (Nine Arches Press, 2023).

“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.”

Fiachra Costello — Intern Editor

Originally from Galway, Fiachra Costello is completing his BA in English and creative writing at Fordham University, New York. Fiachra currently helps edit two campus publications and has had his work featured in several of them. He is delighted by the opportunity to engage with new writers and poems that are exciting and experimental.