The Watchful Heart - A New Generation of Irish Poets: Poems and Essays is an anthology of the work of twenty-four Irish poets born in the last fifty years.

It contains biographical and bibliographical details of each contributor, together with photographs.

All poets included have published at least two collections of poetry. Poetry in Irish with translations is also included.

None of the poetry in this anthology has previously been published in collection form and with a few exceptions, the essays have not been published before.

This anthology has been compiled and edited by poet Joan McBreen, whose previous anthology The White Page - An Bhileog Bhán: Twentieth-Century Irish Women Poets (Salmon Poetry 1999) is now in its third reprint.