Derek Sellen has written poetry over many years as well as plays, short stories and books for international students. His work is widely published and he has read his poetry to many audiences during his writing career, in the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany and, in better times, Russia. He has twice won Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year and three times won O’Bheal (Cork), as well as winning Poets Meet Painter and Poets Meet Politics among other competitions. He has been a prizewinner in The National Poetry Competition and other international writing competitions, also being highly commended and commended. His second collection, The Other Guernica, was a finalist in the Poetry Book Awards 2020.