The Alexandra Sequence John Redmond was born and brought up in Dublin. After taking a doctorate in contemporary poetry at the University of Oxford, he spent two years teaching at Macalester College in Minnesota. He was associated for some time with the poetry magazine Thumbscrew, and has reviewed poetry for the LRB, the TLS, the Irish Times, and the Guardian. He was twice runner-up in the Irish Chess Championship. Currently, he teaches in the English Department at the University of Liverpool.