Michèle Bettyis the director and founder of Dryad Press. She has a BA LLB from Wits University and a MA in Creative Writing (cum laude) from the University of Cape Town. She has previously been a poetry editor and then editor of the New Contrast Literary Journal. Her poems have been published widely, both locally and abroad. Her first collection, Metaphysical Balm, was shortlisted for the 2018 Ingrid Jonker Prize and her second collection, Dark Horse was a finalist in the 2024 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry, a finalist in the 2024 Humanities and Social Sciences Awards (Poetry Category) and the winner of the 2023 South African Literary Award.