Arlene Allen is a retired teacher of English and Drama from Northern Ireland. She has had numerous poems and short stories published and her inspiration comes largely from people and the natural world. Arlene produced a children’s book Larry the Laughing Leprechaun and a collection of poems, A Quickening Pace, to fund raise for Save the Children and the Heart, Chest and Stroke Association. She is a member of the Lisburn Writers’ Group, led by Lynda Tavakoli.