Mamang Dai is a poet, novelist and journalist based in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh. Her poetry, fiction and articles have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Her published works include a poetry collection, River Poems; a book of interlinked stories, The Legends of Pensam and a novella Stupid Cupid. She received the Verrier Elwin Award in 2003 for her book Arunachal Pradesh: The Hidden Land and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2011 in recognition of her contributions in the fields of literature and education.