Wong May was born in China's wartime capital, Chongqing, in 1944. She was brought up in Singapore by her mother, a classical Chinese poet; studied English Literature at the University of Singapore with the poet D.J. Enright; and from 1966 to 1968 she was at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Soon after, she left the USA for Europe. Her fourth book of poems, PICASSO'S TEARS (Poems 1978- 2013), was published by Octopus Books. In 2022, she was awarded the Windham-Campbell Prize. Wong May currently lives in Dublin. She paints under the name Ittrium Coey, and has exhibited her work in Dublin & Grenoble.