Mícheál McCann, originally from Derry and now a teacher in Belfast, will publish his second poetry collection Lives of the Saints with The Gallery Press on May 7. The Derry launch is scheduled for May 19 at Little Acorns Bookstore, owned by Jenni Doherty.

McCann's interest in poetry started during work experience at Doherty's former bookshop Bedlam on Pump Street. The new collection draws from Butler’s Lives of the Saints, a historical record of saintly biographies. McCann focuses on elevating everyday people, such as family members and friends, to a similar level.

He stated that some family experiences seem more saintly than those in historical records. The poems place familiar people in the register of traditional saints. McCann indicated that the core question is who decides what merits celebration in life.

His first collection Devotion appeared in 2024. McCann's poems have appeared in Poetry London, The Stinging Fly, The Poetry Review and The Adrian Brinkerhoff Foundation. He serves as a poetry critic for The Irish Times.

McCann described working with children as keeping him humble. He noted that writing was the main goal, not publishing. At the launch, he plans to read from the collection and discuss its stories and inspirations.

McCann called the Little Acorns event meaningful because his writing began there and Doherty supports writers. He said he feels most true to himself in Derry, where people knew him as a child.