About

I'm a native Bristolian who's never managed to get away for long. I write poetry (mostly), and enjoy walking about a bit with my border collie, Cwtch. 

My six poetry collections – Communion (2011), Map Reading for Beginners (2014), Breadcrumbs (2016), The Shadow Factory (2019), Learning Finity (2022) and Love the Albatross (2024) – are all published by Indigo Dreams, as is my historical novel, Dart, which appeared under their Tamar Books imprint in 2013.

I have an MA in Creative Writing from Manchester Writing School. I run workshops, judge competitions, and have read at many poetry festivals and events. My poems have been widely published in magazines and anthologies, broadcast on Radio 4’s Poetry Please, shortlisted numerous times for the Bridport Prize, and awarded several prizes, including runner-up in the 2022 Buzzwords Poetry Competition, the 2018 Plough Prize Short Poem Competition, 2016 Wells Festival of Literature Hilly Cansdale Prize, 2013 Buzzwords (Gloucestershire) Prize, 2012 Pre-Raphaelite Society Poetry Prize, 2011 Dor Kemmyn Poetry Prize and 2010 Wells International Poetry Competition. They have also been nominated for Forward and Pushcart prizes.

In addition to my personal writing and poetry readings, I facilitate two monthly poetry groups at Bristol Folk House and co-run Silver Street, Bristol’s longest-standing open mic. I am also a member of the IsamBards, four Bristol-based poets who write site-specific poems and conduct poetry walks around the local area.

Photo by Alexander Turner for The Guardian