Bio

I’m a creative writer, arts journalist and reviewer based in Bristol, UK. I’m mum to two AuDHD children and was diagnosed with ADHD in 2021 at the age of 44. I studied an MA in Creative and Critical Writing at Birkbeck College (University of London) from 2021-2023. I started writing in 2019, and my first piece of creative nonfiction was published by Magical Women on their website in 2020 and in Volume 1 of their print magazine in 2021. I’ve since had creative nonfiction published in The Mechanics Institute Review and a personal essay about ADHD creativity and temporality  in Oranges Journal. Recently I have been shortlisted for The Curae Prize 2023 for nonfiction, and long-longlisted for The Brick Lane Short Story Prize 2023. My shortlisted creative nonfiction piece Palmistry is due to be published by Renard Press in November 2023 in the Curae Anthology My music journalism has been published in God is in the TV and Bristol247, and literature reviews in The Mechanics Institute Review. My opinion and editorial writing have been featured in The Everyday Magazine, where I was Music and Arts Editor from 2020 until 2021, and then Chief Culture Editor until June 2022 Throughout 2020 I ran 19 Stories, a project archiving people’s stories from the Covid-19 pandemic. I also have extensive experience of writing and researching articles for Bristol Autism Support, a charity providing information and support services to parents and carers of autistic children and adults, and working with therapists and visual artists to develop their website written content.

Artist Statement 

My current creative writing practise centres my lived experience of neurodivergence, creativity, and motherhood, weaving elements of memoir with philosophical and cultural theory. I am currently working on a long-form project exploring ADHD, rhythm, and temporality, which aims to give voice to neurodivergent women’s experiences of being misunderstood and othered, particularly the misdiagnosed and late-diagnosed. I am also exploring place writing and psychogeography through the themes of displacement, hauntology, and memory in a series of short stories and memoir-based creative nonfiction set around the M32 motorway in my home city of Bristol.

Why MW is important:

My writing piece Conduit which Magical Women published was the very first piece of my creative writing published anywhere – it gave me the impetus to continue writing, and it means so much to me. I decided to apply for my MA shortly afterwards and I’ve just handed my dissertation in, and I’m set to get a distinction, so just know you’ve made a huge difference to my creative life!