About

WRITER, EDITOR, PERSON

Words have always been my thing. When I was little, new words, interesting words and the jigsaw-piece click of the perfect word to express something were all simple, instinctive pleasures, and still are. After finishing school, I did my bookworm duty and got a degree in English Literature – and am proud to have made a living out of being a writer and editor for most of the two-plus decades since. I worked for many years in London, in book and magazine publishing, then moved to Norwich, where I combine work on long- and short-term projects.

Beyond paid work, I periodically try to do something that takes me out beyond the professional day-to-day. I was until recently a governor at a Norwich junior school; before that, I worked on a community heritage project, ran English-language workshops for parents from immigrant communities who wanted to be able to help their children’s education, and worked as an interviewer on an oral history project that documented the lives of people living in Kings Cross in London. Beyond work entirely, I am the proud mother of twin boys, a stepmother (not the kind who wields poison apples) and, like everyone else, mostly busy just getting on with it.

I’m interested in people and what drives the choices they make. I’m also interested in what stories and words in general can do to document human experience, and make life more vivid. I’m drawn to conversations and anything else that offers a new perspective or helps make sense of things, whether using the lens of history, politics, psychology or something else. I try hard to stay curious; I also like a laugh.

Me on LinkedIn

Thank you for reading to the end – your reward is a set of links to things I think should be worth your time.