Vivek Narayanan was born in Ranchi, India in 1972 to Tamil-speaking parents. He has lived, worked and studied in a number of countries, including Zambia, India, South Africa, and the U. S. His books of poetry include Universal Beach (2006) and the forthcoming Mr. Subramanian; his poetry and prose can be found widely online and in print, including in some recent anthologies like The Bloodaxe Book of Contemporary Indian Poetry (Bloodaxe, 2008), and Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia, and Beyond (W. W. Norton, 2008).