It’s been a busy and exciting fortnight since ‘Sand’ was published – a huge thank you to everyone for your kind words and comments about it, I’ve been really blown away! ❤️

You can also now buy Sand as an eBook for only 71p at your local digital bookseller – the link is on the Tor.com story page.

Excitingly, since the eBook launch, the story’s had a couple of reviews…

⭐ Long and Short Reviews gave it 4 stars, saying it was thoughtful and admirably compassionate.

🪐 Tangent called it bizarre, strange and ‘likely to split reader opinion’ (always an exciting thing to do!)

🚀 It’s also been listed on Rocket Stack Rank with Tor.com’s other October short stories, which is a long-time daydream of mine and feels really nice!

BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK? You can now review the book on GoodReads and on eBooks stores like Amazon. So, if you’ve found the story interesting, think about dropping it a star-rating or written review – it honestly helps the story have a longer, happier cyberspace life!

Thanks again for all the gorgeous feedback and encouragement – you’re the loveliest readers in the world! xXx

I’m excited to be taking part in the CHASE Summer Readings series. The first event is tonight, Monday 19th July, chaired by myself and featuring readings from Petra McQueen from University of Essex, Caroline Millar from University of Kent, Kaja Knudsun from University of East Anglia and Susannah Dawes from University of Essex.

Then, next week on Monday 26th July, it’ll be my turn to read, along with Cat Conway from University of Goldsmiths, Gillian Laker from University of Kent, and Daniel C Jeffreys from University of Essex. We’ll be chaired by the lovely Ashley Barr.

These are private events for researchers at CHASE institutions – if you’re at one, tune in online from 7pm, the invite will be in your inbox!

Dialling back in a time a bit to share this one!

A few weeks ago I was on the ‘Writing the Anthropocene’ panel at the UEA CW50 EACWP Conference. As part of that I wrote (and painted!) a little thing about my dear study at home for the Journey Around Our Rooms project with the University of Kent. Here’s a little extract:

“I spent the autumn and winter building a nest, plaiting moss and twigs to my shape. I still can’t believe it stays together when the once-sea winds pelt across the Norfolk flats.

“My study was the first room I finished, two days after moving, just in time for term to kick back in. The painting makes it look bigger than real life. But the things that make us free are always larger in our mind’s eye. Six years freelance, with my job sharing the same psychic space as my bed, but I’ve finally built a border between work and life. That unassuming door makes a hang of a difference – and just in time. Since I moved in, my whole world’s been on this desk: social life; paralegal, editing and teaching work; research; writing… I built a border, but that doesn’t mean I can balance it. The pandemic didn’t help, collapsing the geographical telescope. Still, I was lucky it locked me down in here…”

You can read on for free right here.

Between 11:30-12:30 on Thursday 24th June, I’m thrilled and honoured to be chairing Hallie Rubenhold’s keynote at the CHASE Virtual Encounters conference 2021 .

Historian Hallie Rubenhold is the author of three works of non-fiction and two novels, of which two, The Covent Garden Ladies and Lady Worsley’s Whim, have inspired television dramas – Harlots (Hulu/Amazon) and The Scandalous Lady W (BBC2). Her debut book, The Covent Garden Ladies, captured the imagination of millions when it brought to public attention the history of the Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies, an infamous 18th century guidebook to sex workers. Alongside her writing, her extensive experience extends to presenting TV documentaries, advising on period dramas, teaching, lecturing and curatorial work. You can find out more about her here.

Hallie will be talking about her book The Five, research methodology, and history as something live and relevant, incorporating the conference themes of ‘futures’ and ‘community’. 

For more information about the conference, and to register, click here.

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I’m presenting ‘Shards of Ourselves: Exploring the role boundaries of teacher, editor and therapist in the age of anxiety’ at the CW50 & EACWP Futures for Creative Writing Online Conference, 21st-22nd May 2021:

Celebrating 50 years of Creative Writing at UEA, join UEA and the European Association of Creative Writing Programmes (EACWP) for 2 days of online workshops, panels, lectures and discussions.

This online conference seeks to bring together PhD research students, Creative Writing tutors and graduates, writers and scholars to explore the varieties of practice in our discipline now, the points of convergence and contention, and, crucially, the opportunities for future development and the forces that may shape the nature of writing in the academy over the next several years.

Central to the conference will be an acknowledgement of the importance of literature and drama in helping us navigate challenging moments in history.

I’m really excited to go as an attendee as well as a speaker – particularly for the keynotes from Bernardine Evaristo, Carolyn Forché, John Yorke and (one of my PhD supervisors and total legend) Andrew Cowan.

The whole thing will be happening online, so you can attend from anywhere in the world! Pick up your tickets here.

I am just utterly delighted to say that my latest paper, ‘The Burning Core: Using Heraclitus’ concept of an arche of fire to examine humanity’s connection with nature in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road‘ has been published in The Cormac McCarthy Journal Vol.18.2. You can access my article directly here, and the full issue here.

This publication means an extraordinary amount to me: The Road was one of those seminal works of literature I came across as a teenager and I’ve read it cover to cover countless times. The binding is going on my copy, and it’s a real joy to finally have been able to express so much about why I love this book.

Thanks in particular to Stacey Peebles the journal’s editor, and the two mysterious peer reviewers who agreed this piece should be published – you’ve all reflected so much of my passion for the novel back to me and made the publication process easy and joyous.

Happy reading everyone! x

Today, I’m curling up with The Fairlight Book Of Short Stories Vol.1, which has just been published. I’m so excited to that my short story ‘The Cloud Loom’ has been included in this collection!

This new anthology comes from fab indie publisher Fairlight Books, who have previously published my stories ‘The Cloud Loom’ and ‘The Locust Theorem’ online. They are a fantastic publisher doing really wonderful things, and I couldn’t be more delighted to have been selected for this anthology alongside so many amazing authors – thank you Fairlight Team!

The book is now available and you can pick up a copy here.

This news is a little publishing nerd moment for me: basically I love creative-critical writing. So, this piece is actually a two-part creative-critical piece – a story, and an essay, which have a symbiotic relationship.

In an awesome publishing collaboration, the essay half has been published in vol.31.2 of the journal LOGOS – while the story half has been published by the marvellous folks at Fairlight Books.

The whole piece is called ‘Cohesive Plurality: Exploring the relationship between resonance and the act of writing’.

‘Part 1: The Writer’s Internal Choir’ is accessible via an institutional login or subscription to the LOGOS journal, here.

And ‘Part 2: The Composer’ is free to read on the Fairlight Books website, right here.

Huge thanks to the editorial teams at LOGOS and Fairlight Books for first of all liking my work, and second of all liking this co-publication idea – it’s been really fun to work together!

Happy reading everyone x

I’m delighted to be running a Writing-Life Balance session for Byte the Book on Monday 13th July, 2-3pm.

If you’re struggling to find balance, prioritise your creativity, or looking for support, this is the webinar for you!

Book your free place here (members only).