I am a writer and performer based in the north of England. In 2016 my first poetry pamphlet Echolocation was published by Mother’s Milk Books and my first collection Empires of Clay by Cinnamon Press. I also write fiction and for theatre. My work has featured in audio trails, libretto, in film, on umbrellas and on the walls of a recording studio, won prizes and is widely printed in journals and anthologies.

I have run creative writing workshops since 2003 and offer mentoring and accept private and public commissions. The University of Leeds employs me part-time as a creative writing tutor and leader of Lifelong Learning Centre Creative Writing modules.

Where you’ll find me when I’m not writing

I belong to three hometowns – Bradford, Harrogate and Leeds, where I have lived since coming to university in the 90s. Brief spells in Australia and Germany as an army child gave me itchy feet. I soothe these and my chronic health issues regularly in the Yorkshire rivers and lakes where I swim. I also have an affinity for the sea, woodland, and old industrial buildings set in moorland. I campaign regularly on social justice and sustainability issues and am mum to a grown-up son. My husband tells me I am funniest after nine pm, which is a shame because by then I’m usually in bed reading one of at least twelve books on my bedside table – like most writers, I’m greedy for many types of reading material. You can find some of them on my textual appraisals page.