Mimi Khalvati was born in Iran, and grew up on the Isle of Wight. She attended the Drama Centre, London, and later worked as a theatre director in Tehran, translating from English into Farsi and devising new plays. She is also co-founder of the Theatre in Exile group. Her earlier collections of poetry include In White Ink (1991), Mirrorwork (1995) and The Chine (2002), and her latest work, The Meanest Flower, was shortlisted for the 2007 TS Eliot Prize. This most recent collection brings together a range of elegies, songs and ghazals in a graceful examination of the physical world and the human condition. Khalvati now lives in Hackney and is a Visiting Lecturer at Goldsmiths College as well as a director of the London Poetry School.

More information:

Khalvati's official website.

Interview with the Indepenent.