Sean O'Brien is a Professor of Poetry. He is also a poet, playwright, critic, editor and broadcaster. Since 1998, he has taught in the spring semester each year at Hallam, whilst his colleague, novelist Livi Michael, has taught in the autumn semester.
His main interests are in contemporary poetry and in verse drama. He has published five collections of poetry; his plays include a political verse tragedy, Laughter When We're Dead (2000), My Last Barmaid (2000), Downriver: A Jazz Musical (with Keith Morris, 2001) and a verse version of Aristophanes' The Birds, staged at the National Theatre in 2002.
His work has won various awards including the Somerset Maugham, the E. M. Forster and the Forward Prize. He reviews for The Sunday Times, The Guardian and the Times Literary Supplement, and was co-founder and editor of the literary magazine The Devil.
