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I am a disabled activist, writer, poet, spoken word artist, theatre-maker and creative practitioner based in Darlington in North-East England – I do stuff with words.
This page is a brief overview of some of the things I get up to. You can read more about all the different strands to my practice by clicking on the menus above.
This is what my awesome wordsmith and spoken word artist friend Sarah Crutwell has to say about me, and I rather like it, and her, a very big lot:
She’s the sista
Who cracks open disability labels, wide smile and huge heart,
Stomps boots on stage, talking about the years she spent
Overlooked in wheelchair.
I am proud to be represented by the fabulous Molly Ker Hawn at The Bent Agency.
I’ve been chosen as a Penguin RHUK WriteNow Mentee, one of ten out of 1700 applicants. This is to work on my middle grade novel, THE WRECKLINGS, which features a strong female disabled protagonist and is set in a lighthouse on the rugged North East coast where I grew up (there are also mermaids and a captain with a kitten in his beard).
Publishing May 14th 2020, I was overwhelmed to be asked to contribute to Puffin’s 80th birthday anthology alongside loads of incredible authors and illustrators, many of whom inspired me to write in the first place.
You can pre-order a copy and find out more HERE.
I’m currently in rehearsals and then on tour playing the role of Mad Mary in MEDICINE’S MONSTROUS DAUGHTERS by Vital Xposure. More details on my events page here, and on the show website here.
My theatre and spoken word performance work seeks to make the invisible visible. I perform frequently on the spoken word scene delivering passionate lyrical pieces about disability, mental health and politics.
Filmed by National Spoken Word Organisation Apples and Snakes – my piece ‘Second Best Room’
Our BLACKBOX film series captures performances from the best spoken word artists of today.
I’m a mentor for the #WriteMentor summer mentoring programme. You can find more about it and how to apply HERE.
You can read about what I’m offering and what I’m looking for on my blog post HERE.
A recent interview in NARC Magazine about the Words Weekend Festival and my beloved North East.
I was awarded the 2019 Early Career Residency for Literature at Cove Park by the Fenton Trust.
I am on the coveted #BIFFY50 list for the Best British & Irish Flash Fiction 2018-2019.
INK FLOWS, the poetry collection I wrote about my time as Poet-in-Residence for Crossing the Tees Book Festival, illustrated by the incredible Illustrator-in-Residence Sara Gibbeson, is available now from Teesside libraries, Book Corner in Saltburn and 6e Publishing.
I am a 2018 recipient of a Creative Future Literary Award for poetry.
Accessibility – pause the film and press the first little rectangle on the bottom right hand side for subtitles/closed captions.
My poetry, short stories and essays have been published in both print and online journals, links available here. I was appointed as Guest Editor for Disability Arts Online from December 2018 – February 2019. I used the platform to focus on Northern Emerging Disabled Artists. You can read the commissioned articles here.
As a creative practitioner I specialise in working with people who are not fully represented in the mainstream. I work in schools, community centres, prisons, probation hostels, galleries, libraries, wherever the words will have me…
Thank you for a wonderful workshop journey. Your warm up got the creative cells going, the quickfire focused my thoughts and then the stream of brilliant exercises made me fasten my literary seatbelt and enjoy the ride! A wonderful safe and accessible environment to write and share.
Well planned. Beautifully executed. Exhilarating. Thoughtful & caring. Thank you very much.
You can read more Nice Things People Have Said About Me here.
