Yirga is a writer, researcher and poet from Lalibela, Ethiopia. He currently lives in Whadjuk Noongar Boodja (Perth, Western Australia), where he is a Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Human Rights Education, Curtin University.

His Amharic poetry was published in a solo collection, የተራሮች ጩኸት (The Cry of Mountains), and has been performed widely on stage and radio in Ethiopia. His English short stories and translated poems have been published in anthologies and journals, including Westerly, Unlimited Futures (Fremantle Press) and Ways of Being Here (Centre for Stories and Margaret River Press).

Yirga is also one of the inaugural recipients of the Emerging Poetes Residency, which is currently open for applications! Here he is reading his poem 'ኪዳን / Covenant'. Read the full poem here:

https://redroompoetry.org/poets/yirga-gelaw-woldeyes/covenant/

Poetry Month (1–31 August) is an initiative presented by Red Room Poetry to increase the profile of Australian poetry in all of its forms. Every day across Poetry Month, 30in30 delivers new original poetry, reflections and writing prompts from some of the country’s leading poets, public figures, and spoken word artists. https://redroompoetry.org/projects/poetry-month/