Biography

I’m the author of three poetry collections, two novels, an illustrated children’s alphabet, and several feature-length screen-plays. I read History at Oxford, spent time volunteering after the civil-war in El Salvador, and threw away a sensible future at the Bar in order to write. I’ve been a bad school-teacher, an error-prone PA, and an OK TV research assistant. I married young and used to think I was quite a good mum. In 2006, my second poetry collection, Quicksand Beach, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize. My third collection, Infragreen, was published by Seren in June 2015.

I’ve performed at many festivals and literature events including the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival and pre-Festival tour, Dartington’s Ways with Words, Ledbury Festival, SBC Voice Box, the Dylan Thomas Centre and King’s Lynn Poetry Festival. I’ve also read at schools and prisons, and as a guest poet/tutor on Arvon and other creative writing courses.

Photo by Luisa Martelo