I was really excited to have won this commission on the theme of Women in Science. I chose to write about Dr Elsie Inglis who took a team of nurses to care for the sick on the Eastern Front during WW1. My Aunt Susannah was one of those nurses. It was a marvellous evening led […]

How exciting! My poem ‘Is Gertrude Stein’s Frog Smoking in Your Attic Too?’ is now live at the excellent London Grip in their Winter issue along with many excellent poets. Many thanks to editor, Michael Bartholomew-Biggs. Take a look at London Grip here and why not look at my poem while you’re there. I am […]

I love Fitzcarraldo‘s books so it is fabulous news to discover that my novel has been shortlisted for the prestigious Fitzcarraldo Editions Novel Prize. It is a list of only five books so it’s a huge honour to be shortlisted, particularly since it is for the entire manuscript rather than an excerpt. I thank the […]

The marvellous Atrium Poetry has published my poem ‘Watching a Fish on a Cutting Board‘ today. Very many thanks to Holly and Claire for picking it. I am so pleased. I wrote this one a while ago, I can’t remember why or when but I imagine I had been preparing fish for dinner. I always […]

The Ofi Press, edited by Jack Little, is based in Mexico. I am thrilled that they have published my poem ‘Squid of Nondescript Household Places’. Very many thanks to Jack. Here is the link to The Ofi Press Magazine Issue 63. I hope you enjoy it. ‘Squid of Nondescript Household Places’ is a poem in […]

My poem ‘this party isn’t free’ is in Issue 17 of Riggwelter, I am proud to say. Many thanks to the marvellous Riggweltarians for picking it. What a great magazine. It is full of gorgeous art, stories and poems. It’s a peculiar poem, I think I must have been quite annoyed when I wrote it. […]

‘The Great Eel of Jazz’, has been included in the fantastic Humanagerie anthology, brilliantly edited by Sarah Doyle and Allen Ashley. The Great Eel actually has a mention in Storgy’s review of the anthology, which is very exciting. Thank you to Emily Harrison who wrote the review. The poem is also mentioned in the London […]

  The image is one Simon Ryder’s brilliant ‘Giants of Albion’ chalk on blackboard artworks. I am thrilled that Lonesome October Lit has published another of my pieces, ‘Girl Who Spiralled‘, a flash inspired by Simon’s work. Many, many thanks to wonderful Kate Garrett – probably the busiest woman in the world. The story mentions […]

‘Concert at the Doge’s Palace with Fans’, is now published on Ink, Sweat and Tears. Huge thanks to the fabulous Helen Ivory for selecting it. What’s more, it has been shortlisted for their Poem of the Month. Gosh! I’m so pleased that they picked this particular poem because it actually happened unlike most stuff I write. […]

‘Girl in a Borrowed Cloak’ was written for the 10Days project and was displayed for a while in Winchester Cathedral (see below). I am so pleased it has found a strange and lovely home at Lonesome October Lit. I don’t really know in which genre it’s written. It is both a prose poem and flash fiction, […]

Words for the Wild is a website and print publication edited by myself and Louise Taylor. It is dedicated to writing rooted in the countryside with all profits from the sale of the book going to ADD – Action Against Destructive Development.   We began all this because of Eastleigh Borough Council’s plans to build […]

‘This Land of Dill’ is in the latest issue of Under the Radar Issue 21 published by Nine Arches Press. Many thanks to Jane Commane. It is very exciting to be included in such a great literary magazine. What’s more, I am accompanied by friends Raine Geoghegan and Sue Spiers, which is a pleasure and an […]

It’s such brilliant news that this story has found a publisher, and extra great that it should be LossLit. ‘My Greenland Halibut‘ is about a door-to-door fish seller. He really does love his stock. On his rounds he comes across Terry, a poorly man and they establish a relationship of a kind. The fish seller’s […]

‘Temptation No. 3: Sunrise’ is now published in The Cabinet of Heed. Many thanks to Simon Webster and his fabulous cabinet. ‘Sunrise’ is one of several poems in a series of temptations of varying kinds, let’s face it, it’s a rich vein, and is the second to be published. Hurray! You can read it here. I’ll […]

  ‘Girl Wrapped in Beads‘ is now published by the marvellous Ellipsis Magazine. I have written a few of these ‘Girl…’ vignettes, flash fiction, stories and poems. It started with the 10 Days arts project a few years ago when ‘Girl in a Borrowed Cloak’ was displayed in Winchester Cathedral. Later ‘Girl who Climbed’ was […]

Firstly, it’s a beautiful book to hold and touch, and the cover image by Anna Raspopva, of a stylised olive tree, is striking. Leaves fill the top third of the front cover with no space between them for sky or birds or sun, just leaves crammed in – almost spilling off the cover; just as […]

The richness and beauty of this painting by William Holman Hunt (1827-1910) belie its subject matter. It is entitled ‘The Awakening Conscience’. The young woman in the picture has been sitting on her lover’s lap singing Thomas Moore’s Oft, in the Stilly Night, when she has a moment of spiritual revelation. My poem ‘Bells and Marigolds’ re-enacts the […]

‘Close but no cigar’ is how the folk at The Molotov Cocktail describe their shortlist. Thank you to Molotov. I’m proud, and marginally healthier even, without the cigar, and am glad they enjoyed the poem. Here is the link to the shortlist. They had their biggest entry yet, with submissions from the United States, U.K., Ireland, […]

 It seems I have two successes in the New Welsh Review Awards! Two! Happy days! Many thanks to Gwen Davies and her team. Extracts from my novella, ‘Carving Strangers’, set in 1950s South Africa, and a memoir I’ve written about Bob’s childhood in South Africa will be published later this year. It has come as […]

Many thanks to Sandra Tyler at Woven Tale. I’m thrilled that my poem is included in the latest issue of The Woven Tale Press. It’s a stunning fine art and literary magazine. A visual banquet. You can subscribe here, it’s free and fab.  I’ve picked out a few items in this issue that struck me […]

Two of my poems have been published in Prelude‘s print edition. Prelude was established in 2014 and is based in New York, which is extra exciting somehow. They publish contemporary experimental poetry and criticism. This is how Prelude describes itself: Prelude is a poetry journal concerned with making nothing happen through unacknowledged legislation.  Very good. […]

Ten of my poems have been on display at a gallery in Oxfordshire. Ten is a lot – it’s also a thrill and a fair bit of work. A few months ago artist, Lucy Ash, and I agreed that I’d send her some poems. It always surprises me how paintings can trigger a poem or […]

I’m thrilled to have a story on The London Magazine Short Story Competition shortlist. You can take a look at the list here. Equally thrilling was the do, held at the Houses of Parliament The London Magazine is a prestigious magazine and has been going for a very long time. Apparently, they published Wordsworth and […]

It is fantastic to have a story in 3:AM. My piece, ‘Three Girls Sing a Sutartine’ is now published. Many thanks to Hestia and the wonderful 3:AM folk for producing such a fascinating magazine – it’s full of challenge and discovery. Here is the link if you’d like a short read. The piece is accompanied […]